STRATEGIC NORMATIVISM? QUESTIONING THE EU'S NORM ONTOLOGICAL POSITIVISM AS AN ACTOR IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Carmen SCHWARZENBECK

Master's thesis

STRATEGIC NORMATIVISM?

Abstract:

The Cotonou Partnership Agreement is the most recent agreement between the European Union (EU) and Sub-Saharan African (SSA) states under the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) umbrella. The original agreement was signed in 2000 and expired in 2020, after which a revised agreement will be negotiated and finalized today. The impact of the newly negotiated Cotonou Agreement is widely debated. Some worry that this will not be enough to meet Sub-Saharan Africaâ??s economic and social challenges. Some argue, however, that this is a significant step towards promoting cooperation and trade between the two continents. The aim of this thesis is to determine whether Mannersâ?? (2000) study concluding that the EU is a legitimate normative actor in relations with Sub-Saharan African countries is valid. As a result, the following research question arises: To what extent are EU policies in Sub-Saharan African ACP states norm-driven, and why - the (post-)Cotonou era: a commitment to EU norms or the result of strategic geopolitical interests? A qualitative case study comprised of expert interviews was conducted and analysed using Mayringâ??s (2002) content analysis methodology to answer the research question. The assessment reveals that power and normativism manifest themselves in a variety of sectors, including development cooperation, trade, conflict and peacekeeping, and environment. These traces can be found in discussions about neocolonialism, trade agreements, economic superiority, and conflict management with double standards.

Abstract:

The Cotonou Partnership Agreement is the most recent agreement between the European Union (EU) and Sub-Saharan African (SSA) states under the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) umbrella. The original agreement was signed in 2000 and expired in 2020, after which a revised agreement will be negotiated and finalized today. The impact of the newly negotiated Cotonou Agreement is widely debated. Some worry that this will not be enough to meet Sub-Saharan Africaâ??s economic and social challenges. Some argue, however, that this is a significant step towards promoting cooperation and trade between the two continents. The aim of this thesis is to determine whether Mannersâ?? (2000) study concluding that the EU is a legitimate normative actor in relations with Sub-Saharan African countries is valid. As a result, the following research question arises: To what extent are EU policies in Sub-Saharan African ACP states norm-driven, and why - the (post-)Cotonou era: a commitment to EU norms or the result of strategic geopolitical interests? A qualitative case study comprised of expert interviews was conducted and analysed using Mayringâ??s (2002) content analysis methodology to answer the research question. The assessment reveals that power and normativism manifest themselves in a variety of sectors, including development cooperation, trade, conflict and peacekeeping, and environment. These traces can be found in discussions about neocolonialism, trade agreements, economic superiority, and conflict management with double standards.

Keywords

European Union Normativism, Ontological Positivism, Sub-Saharan Africa, Cotonou Agreement.

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 2. 9. 2023

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: JUDr. Mag. iur. Michal Malacka, Ph.D., MBA

Palacký University Olomouc

Faculty of Law

Master programme / field:
European Law and EU Policies / European Law and EU Policies