Africa in the World Seminar

The Centre of Africa’s International Relations in the Department of International Relations is hosting the first session of its seminar series on Africa in the World. The centre will receive Dr Caroline Bouchard from the University of Edinburgh (UK) who will be sharing findings from the Mercury project. The title of the talk is Multilateralism in the Contemporary World Order: The European Union, Africa and the Quest for Effectiveness.

Globalisation has created powerful new incentives for states to cooperate. The member states of the European Union repeatedly have championed multilteralism as the logical response to new global challenges and as its ultimate objective in relations with other regions and partners including Africa. This presentation reviews the findings of the MERCURY project, a programme of research which investigates the EU's contribution to multilateralism.

It examines EU relations with Africa, a critically-important region and partner both in terms of global order and in terms of EU interests. It also explores how (and whether) the EU fulfils its commitment to effective multilateralism in its relations with African partner.