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RELATIONS WITH THE EU

The European Union and Burkina Faso

Cooperation between the European Union and Burkina Faso has grown steadily over the past decades. Its economic objectives are ambitious in terms of development and social, but also of political stability.

Relations between Burkina Faso, the European Union and its member states are governed by the Treaty of Lisbon and the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, known as the Cotonou Agreement. In this context, the European Union and Burkina Faso maintain a close political dialogue, conducted within the framework of the provisions of Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement. This dialogue addresses issues of mutual interest and includes issues of peace and security, cooperation strategies, trade, public policies and gender equality.

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  • Rélations politiques de la Delegation de Burkina Faso avec l'UE.

    Relaciones políticas de la Delegación de Burkina Faso con la UE. 

Political relations

The EU's relations with Burkina Faso date back to 1959

Cooperation between the European Union and Burkina Faso has grown steadily over the past decades, with ambitious objectives in terms of political stability, security and economic and social development. The EU-Africa partnership advocates an innovative and ambitious approach in all areas of common interest, on the principle of political equality between partners, but taking into account the structural and level of development differences that justify appropriate solutions in certain cases.

The EU Strategy for Action is based on a series of pillars, including the EU's Global Strategy for External Action and the New Consensus for Development. The partnership between the European Union and Africa is also based on two other major instruments: the Cotonou Agreement, which governs the conditions for political dialogue and development cooperation between the European Union and the so-called ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) and the continental approach known as the “European Union Strategy for Africa”. These two major instruments are in the process of being finalized (the negotiation of the new EU-ACP Agreement should be concluded before the end of 2020; the Strategy for Africa could be the subject of a joint EU-Africa endorsement during the EU-Africa Summit in October 2020 in Brussels).

In addition to the aforementioned framework documents, relations between Burkina Faso and the EU are governed mainly by the Treaty of Lisbon and the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, which provide instruments for political dialogue and cooperation. Particular attention is paid to strengthening links between the EU and Burkina Faso and, at the regional level, with the West African region (UEMOA- to which the Ouagadougou DUE is accredited- and ECOWAS). The European Union thus actively supports the regional integration of West Africa and, more recently, the G5 Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad) which fights against violent extremism and promotes the development of the regions peripheral devices.

Since its inception in 1959, cooperation between the EU and Burkina Faso, supported by constant dialogue, has intensified. The European Union has become a key political actor in all areas of importance to the country and the first official development aid partner (in grants). Its aid is aligned with the country's priorities defined through its development benchmark, namely the National Development Benchmark (RND 2021-2025). Technical and financial cooperation (see the section below) is implemented mainly within the framework of a Multi-Annual Indicative Program (PIM), financed by the new instrument “Neighborhood and International Cooperation” (NDICI-Global Europe) from 2021. Direct support for projects in the field, regional support and emergency aid through the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) are also part of the Union's actions in Burkina Faso.

Cooperation actions are carried out jointly with the country's authorities and other development partners, through constant political and technical dialogue. The programming process for the 2021-2027 period is underway, the new Burkina Faso PIM will be adopted at the end of 2021.

Economic relations

Trade and investment contribute to the creation of wealth and economic growth, as well as to good governance through the accompanying provisions in existing agreements, based on mutual respect and solidarity

Economic and trade relations strengthen the links between Africa and Europe and contribute to the general objective of poverty reduction and economic and social development.

  • The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), concluded in 2014 between the EU and the West African region (the 15 ECOWAS countries + Mauritania), is intended to be a stable, secure and predictable partnership, aiming, on one hand, to support the countries in their objectives of integration into the world economy and, on the other hand, to strengthen regional integration and the promotion of inclusive and sustainable development. If approved, the EPA will give the countries of the region access to the European market without customs duties or quotas; it will enable African businesses to import quality inputs at lower cost, acquire new technologies, attract investors and access new international markets through improved competitiveness. All West African countries have ratified the EPA, with the notable exception of Nigeria, which does not allow the EPA to enter into force. Alternative approaches remedy this situation and the EU continues to work together to improve economic governance at national and regional level.
  • The EU's External Investment Plan (PIE / EIP), launched in 2018, is a financial instrument aimed at promoting productive investment, with a private sector-centred approach, implemented through development banks. The PIE offers an attractive framework for stimulating private investment, capable of fostering sustainable and inclusive growth and creating decent jobs.

Altogether, the ACP countries represent only around 5% of the EU's foreign trade. Trade between the European Union and Burkina Faso is very modest. Nevertheless, the European Union is Burkina Faso's main trading partner, absorbing over 32% of its total trade.

In Burkina Faso, headquarters of the UEMOA (West African Economic and Monetary Union), the Delegation of the European Union is responsible in part for monitoring the implementation of the Regional Indicative Program for Africa in the West (Nigeria being the seat of ECOWAS, the West African Economic and Development Community, Abuja is the other Delegation in charge), which aims in particular to strengthen regional integration by increasing economic and trade relations between the countries of the sub-region and with the EU. The establishment of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) responds to this challenge in a complementary manner. In addition, support for infrastructure, agricultural policies and the integrated legislative framework, competitiveness, trade facilitation and the business environment are part of the European Union's actions to strengthen trade exchanges in the region and to the rest of the world.

Technical and financial cooperation

Cooperation between the European Union and Burkina Faso has grown steadily over the past decades. It reached a volume of around one billion euros for the period 2015-2020

The European Union and its MS are the main contributors to cooperation. Overall, development aid represents on average over this period of the order of 10% of Burkina Faso's GDP.

The EU Integrated Strategy in the Sahel, revised in 2021, and the EU's regional commitments under the Partnership for Security and Stability for the Sahel (P3S), the Sahel Alliance (AS) and the Coalition for the Sahel, feed high-level political dialogue, intervention priorities in the Sahel and serve as a basis for G7 coordination in the areas of internal security, justice and social cohesion.

The priorities for EU action are based on common objectives with Burkina Faso within the framework of the new National Development Framework (RND 2021-2025). The organization of Technical and Financial Partners (PTF) within a Troika and 14 Sectoral Dialogue Frameworks (CSD) makes it possible to coordinate the dialogue between partners on one hand, and between the partners and the government on the other hand, in line with the commitments made under the aid effectiveness agenda.

The commitment of the EU and MS to peace and stability is very strong, as well as the willingness to meet the challenges and exploit the opportunities offered by the green transition and digital transformation. Their priorities have been broken down into three areas and cross-cutting themes. These areas are in turn broken down into priority sectors:

1. Peace - Social Cohesion - Good Governance - Local development:

  • Strengthening the rule of law, justice and security.
  • Social cohesion, prevention and management of conflicts.
  • Public finance management and local development.

2. Inclusive human development:

  • Education.
  • Health and Social Protection.
  • Water and sanitation.

3. Green and resilient economy:

  • Preservation and restoration of forests and natural ecosystems.
  • Development of sustainable, promising and resilient agro-food sectors.
  • Strengthening of management capacities and local skills.

Humanitarian aid

In Burkina Faso, the European Commission's humanitarian aid service is represented by an office and staff responsible for monitoring projects and the situation in the country

Due to the deterioration in security, DG ECHO has changed its programming from support traditionally oriented towards food and nutritional insecurity until 2018, to a response largely focused, since 2019, on the multisectoral needs of populations affected by the conflict, including more than 1.147.699 internally displaced people (CONASUR, March 2021). The actions financed primarily aim at monitoring and responding to protection cases, food assistance, the provision of shelter and necessities within a Rapid Response Mechanism, improving access to health care, drinking water and education in emergencies. ECHO also integrates the protection of these populations across all of these programs.

DG ECHO's partners are also leading actions aimed at disaster risk reduction and strengthening the preparation of national capacities to respond to these multiple crises. Support for coordination, humanitarian air transport and civil-military coordination to improve accessibility to vulnerable populations remain priorities. The operationalization of the Emergency / Development / Peace Nexus also remains a major issue in this context.

In Burkina Faso, since 2007, the EU has allocated € 200 million for humanitarian aid. The 2020 budget is almost 25 million euros.

Fight against Covid-19

The #TeamEurope commitments in Burkina Faso

Since the first confirmed cases of Covid-19 recorded in Burkina Faso on March 9, 2020, the European Union (EU) and its member states have shown their solidarity with the authorities and the whole of the Burkinabe people in the fight against the pandemic and announced specific measures to support the country.

  • The EU and its member states have spoken publicly in this direction in a Joint Declaration published on March 26 to support the Burkinabè state in its responses.
  • Our intention today is to share information on the actions taken by #TeamEurope, both to fight against the spread of Covid-19, and to mitigate the social, humanitarian and economic effects of the pandemic in the country.
  • Our various supports are geared towards the essential sectors impacted by the pandemic. We operate both bilaterally and multilaterally. In addition, our actions extend over the short, medium and long term.
  • The European Union and its member states are committed to the moratorium on African debt because of the health crisis linked to Covid-19.
  • Bilaterally, the total amount of the EU and its MS to directly support Burkina Faso in the fight against Covid amounts to nearly 105 billion FCFA (almost 162 million €). This bilateral support concerns both the socio-economic component and the health component. In terms of health, support is available according to different themes: medical care, sanitation, food security, support for displaced persons, security, communication and prevention, etc.
  • To this are added regional funds amounting to more than 4 billion FCFA (€ 6.2 million) allocated to the fight and the consequences of Covid-19 in the ECOWAS zone (including approximately 262 million FCFA ( € 400,000) for Burkina Faso).
  • The EU is also a major player at the multilateral level. The EU and its MS are among the most important contributors of the main international institutions, all engaged in the response to Covid-19. #TeamEurope contributes financially to the IMF, the World Bank, the United Nations and the Global Fund.
  • The COVID-19 vaccination campaign began on June 2 in Burkina Faso. This was made possible by the receipt by the country on Monday 31 May of more than 115,000 doses of AstraZeneca via the COVAX Facility.

The #TeamEurope is the largest contributor to the COVAX mechanism whose objective is to ensure equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine as a global public good.