The European Union is often praised for fostering integration, mobility and economic cooperation amongst its members. Yet critics contend that excessive bureaucracy, limited perceived everyday benefits and, more recently, its ineffectiveness in geopolitics have left it appearing to many members as more advantageous to elites than to ordinary citizens, while positioning it as a lightweight geopolitical actor on the global stage.
In a recent ‘Eurobarometer’ survey, Europeans rank inflation, rising prices and cost of living as their main concerns, followed closely by defence and security. These issues have long dominated headlines, but they now feel more urgent than ever. The erosion of purchasing power of wages and savings, coupled with a perceived second-tier defence system compared with global superpowers, including some selected Asian countries, adds to the frustration of many EU citizens.
Like other regions, Europe depends heavily on commodities. However, its reliance on foreign sources to secure these essential resources is particularly pronounced. Africa is the richest continent in natural resources and Europe’s demand for commodities and critical minerals has become a strategic priority, especially in the wake of recent geopolitical shifts.
At a glance:
- Oil and Natural Gas: Nigeria and North African countries are significant producers.
- Uranium: Namibia and Niger are amongst the world’s top uranium exporters.
- Lithium & Cobalt: Zimbabwe and Namibia are global major players, while DRC dominates global cobalt mining, accounting for roughly 70% of output.
- Agriculture: West African countries supply a large share of cocoa imports to Europe.
Africa also holds a wide array of critical minerals essential for AI, computing, defence applications and data centres. Frequently, the extracted commodities are first moved to processing hubs — mainly in China, to a lesser degree in other Asian countries, and a few refiners in Europe — before final delivery.
Europe remains an important trading partner for Africa, but over the past three decades China, Russia, the United States, India and Turkey have all heavily expanded their footprint across the continent. China in particular is now Africa’s top trading partner and a key infrastructure investor. Although Europe maintains significant ties in the region there is a growing perception that its tangible influence in the area should be reinforced to match contenders.
Competition amongst resource seekers must also be balanced with local needs and aspirations. African governments increasingly demand more than just raw extraction: they legitimately expect knowledge transfer, development of the skills of local workers, domestic processing and industrial development. They underline their sovereign right to set the terms of access to resources, aiming to transform natural wealth into sustainable growth and social progress for their citizens. This requires that significant investments be directed locally and that partnerships are designed in a way that balance African priorities with external interests. For many African countries the challenge is not only supplying international counterparts, but they place understandable emphasis on ensuring their resources become a driver of long-term prosperity at home.
Certain countries mentioned above are often recognized for providing solutions that align with, and swiftly address, local aspirations for growth and higher living standards. By comparison Europe’s approach, despite its commendable efforts, is sometimes perceived as rather gradual in its execution. To strengthen its ties and competitiveness in the region, might the EU need to reassess its strategy both commercially and geopolitically?
Commodity scarcity doesn’t just mean higher prices. It undermines security:
- Armed forces depend on oil, gas and batteries for weapons and logistics; shortages can paralyze defence systems.
- Civil infrastructure — power grids, transport, essential services — relies on stable supplies; disruptions considerably weaken a country without a shot being fired.
- Nations with direct access to resources hold disproportionate leverage at negotiating tables.
- The absence of reliable access, direct or indirect, to primary commodities renders nations politically and strategically fragile.
The 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro underscored this reality, with member states — who control much of the world’s resources — pledging deeper cooperation on energy and minerals.
Some EU members are pursuing projects in Africa. Italy has revived the Piano Mattei to strengthen partnerships through investments and joint projects. France, on the other hand, is reassessing its diminished influence after military withdrawals. Other countries experiment with bilateral business initiatives. Yet the fundamental questions remain: can the EU act as a true union in Africa, or will national interests continue to dominate? As recent history suggests that trusted partners today may not always evolve into long-term partners, how will the Union further diversify reliable suppliers?
To address inflation, cost of living, defence and security, Europe needs guaranteed access to a wide array of commodities. That requires credibility, sustainable and mutually advantageous partnerships, and above all a clearly agreed common EU strategy amongst its members. Unity translates into strength at any negotiating table.
Therefore, the issue is less about evaluating the EU’s past accomplishments in the region to date, but more about understanding how it can expand its influence in the commodities sector, without becoming mired in bureaucracy. Especially when measured against the substantial partnerships achieved by other countries over the last thirty years in the region. Further, the several intricate international confrontations that define the present era heavily impact commodity flows underscoring the urgency of prompt action.
Despite rhetoric of unity, many Europeans feel their countries still act autonomously. That perception undermines the EU’s credibility abroad. Africa is close — but proximity alone is not enough. Unless Europe acts decisively as a union, not as a collection of fragmented states, it risks falling further behind competitors who already secured strong mutual partnerships on the continent.
The question is whether the EU can reinvent itself as a true heavyweight player in securing stable commodity supplies at fair prices for all the parties involved, or whether it will remain in a secondary position in the region compared to other actors, leaving future EU generations to bear the costs of higher prices, weaker defences and lost opportunities.
