Sara Gianesello and Sophie Desmidt, together with Gustavo de Carvalho and Steven Gruzd, examine how the AU and the EU can move beyond rhetorical alignment toward tangible collaboration on multilateral reform.
Summary
The multilateral system is currently facing a rupture, with current institutions, particularly the UN Security Council, suffering from legitimacy deficits and paralysis. Both Africa and Europe depend on effective multilateral rules, yet both face credibility challenges. Africa struggles to translate numerical weight into influence, while the EU’s leverage is constrained by internal fragmentation and perceptions of inconsistent application of international norms.
This briefing note examines how the AU and the EU can move beyond rhetorical alignment toward tangible collaboration on multilateral reform. It maps convergence and divergence between the two continents and identifies practical drivers of reform. Our findings highlight that while Africa would like to have immediate structural change, Europe favours gradual procedural reforms. However, there is significant alignment on improving the UN Security Council’s working methods, strengthening EU-AU-UN cooperation, and ensuring predictable financing for AU-led peace operations through Resolution 2719.
To restore confidence in multilateralism, the AU and EU must prioritise delivery over declarations. The world is changing more rapidly than ever before. The question is no longer whether multilateralism should be defended in principle, but how both continents can recalibrate their strategies to operate effectively within a fragmented and competitive order.
About the Authors:
Gustavo de Carvalho is a Senior researcher on Russia-Africa ties at the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at SAIIA.
Sara Gianesello is a policy analyst and gender and youth focal point in ECDPM’s inclusive governance and accountability and peace, security and resilience teams. She is also the coordinator of the gender task force.
Sophie Desmidt is the associate director of ECDPM’s people, partnerships and peace cluster and head of the peace, security and resilience workstream
Steven Gruzdis the head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)