The four partners of the EU Presidency Project (CONCORD, Plataforma Portuguesa das ONGD, SLOGA, and VENRO) have launched the African-European Civil Society Survey. The online survey runs until 5 October 2020 and is meant to better understand the perspectives of African and European civil society on the intercontinental relations.
Now that the sixth summit between the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) planned for October 2020 has been postponed, there is little to no involvement of civil society in the negotiations about the joint AU-EU Strategy and other political processes. However, the common challenges for Africa and Europe, from the need for radical climate change measures to the economic and social recovery from the Corona pandemic, are more pressing than ever.
The African-European Civil Society Survey provides an opportunity to make these voices heard. No matter if you are part of an environmental NGO in Northern Finland or a human rights organisation in South Africa’s Cape Region: Everyone is invited to participate and advocate for a solidary Africa-Europe partnership that serves the people on our two continents.
The civil societies in Africa and Europe are an important bridge between distant AU-EU policy processes and the well-being of people on the ground. Therefore, we can provide innovative insights on the common challenges of our two continents based on the living realities at the grassroots. With the postponement of the AU-EU Summit to next year, we as civil society now have the chance to set our own priorities for an inclusive, fair and sustainable partnership that actually helps to improve people’s living conditions.
The well-known German Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research has been assigned to process and analyse the anonymous data. The survey results will be launched at the hybrid Africa-Europe Civil Society Conference on 16 October and presented to African and European decision-makers prior to the AU-EU Summit next year.