Delegation to the Africa–EU Parliamentary Assembly – Informal Meeting with African Media Fellows
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DELEGATIONS European Parliament
Hilde Vautmans
I'll go for English then.
Okay, that's a good, that's a good deal. But I'm very happy to see you all here. I hope that we can have a good talk about the work in the Parliament and how we look towards the relationship between Europe and Africa. I always say if Europe and Africa would marry, we will be the strongest continent in the world and we will play America and Russia and China out of the competition. So, that's one of my dreams.
So, but thanks for being here and love to hear your questions later on. I will give the floor to Ingeborg.
Ingeborg Ter Laak
Thank you, Hilde, and thank you all for visiting us. It's very important you come to the European Parliament, as Hilde was saying, the heart of the European, the heart of Europe, I think, the institutions. And I think Hilde also introduced me a little. I'm Ingeborg Ter Laak. I'm elected, this is my first mandate in the Parliament, so I'm kind of fresh here.
I'm from the Netherlands, so therefore I speak Dutch and Hilde is from Belgium, so we can speak Dutch together. Et je comprends français un peu, mais je ne parle pas enough to speak it back to you, but I can understand it a little. As Hilde, I also have strong ties with with Africa because Nilikaa Tanzania muda mrefu. It's long time ago, but I used to live in Tanzania. Thank you very much.
Asante sana. So ninasema Kiswahili kidogo tu. So, of course, a little. And I used to work with the army and I went to MONUC already 20 years ago. Can you imagine the peace, the peacekeeping operation of the UN?
Yeah, it's still there. It's been there for 30 years. It's the biggest UN operation ever deployed in whole of the world. And I'm so sad to see that it's still very much necessary these days. As Hilde says, from our side on the Africa, on Africa, we, if it comes to conflict, we mainly focus on Sudan and conflict and Congo, the two biggest crises in the world right now.
And, but we concentrate on much more, as we went to Midrand and we went to Eswatini on several parliamentary assemblies and met our counterparts in Africa. We also focus a lot about employment, since Africa is the youngest, if it comes to population, is the youngest continent in the world. And if you look at what the amount of people that come to the labor market each month, I think it's like one million at this time in whole of Africa, and it's around, you know, in 10 years' time it will be two millions a month. So Africa needs to provide with the jobs. If there's something we would like to assist Africa on is how can we work together on providing valuable jobs for young people within Africa.
There's many, many more subjects we work on together. Also, for my side, I'm also member of the SANT committee and the environmental committee, so I also work a lot on health issues, on environmental issues, but also about food security. And I think in the near future, Africa is going to be very important if it comes to geopolitical constraints if it comes to food security. Right now, I'm, as you were saying, I'm a member of the EPP and I'm writing a new strategy EU-Africa relations from EPP side. Thank you.
Isabelle Zerrouk
Merci, Madame Terlaak. Donc, je propose la chose suivante, c'est que certainement ces deux députées ont des choses à vous raconter, mais n'hésitez pas à poser des questions en levant la main. Il y en a eu tout à l'heure, donc je vois qu'il y a déjà des questions et chacune pourra ensuite développer en fonction de ce qu'elle souhaite communiquer à la salle. Donc la dame avec le, oui, et ensuite le monsieur à côté. Merci.
Lalaina
Does it work? Thank you very much. My name is Lalaina, I'm a storyteller from Madagascar. My work is on democracy and governance, and within this media fellowship, I hope to develop in that stories around that track. But I work also on youth engagement, political participation, so thank you very much for touching the youth and women.
So my question is about global mobility, both of you. So we talk about employment, and in the earlier session that we had, we learned about the Eurobarometer saying that most majority of Europeans are pessimistic about the future of the world. I think it's not an isolated case because our young people, we are also very pessimistic and we want to go to Europe because we see Europe as the future. So I want to see how can you address that in terms of, you know, the AU and EU partnership in terms of global mobility of young people and employment. Thank you very much.
Isabelle Zerrouk
Merci beaucoup pour votre question. Pardon, je coupe l'interprète. Alors, Madame Vautmans d'abord, puis Madame Terlaak. Vous préférez? Alors on va prendre un ensemble de questions.
Donc monsieur à côté, oui.
Michael
Thank you so much. My name is Michael, work with GBC, that's the state broadcaster in Ghana, and I'm AU media fellow. I'm working on regional integration and economic development, and I'm excited that you mentioned jobs as one of the critical areas that you are interested in creating for the African continent.
At the just ended Biashara Africa in Lomé, which I attended, I saw a number of young entrepreneurs, I mean, coming up with innovative ideas and trying to work within and trade within the Africa continent. Unfortunately, they are also finding it difficult to extend into the EU market because sometimes it's very difficult and there are quite a number of restrictions on exporting into the EU market. But here comes China, who is offering us a zero tariff to trade with them. What are you doing to make sure that it is easy for young people with creative ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurial skills, they come up with their own stuff and are able to extend into the EU market? And also, I mean, at Biashara Africa, one major issue that came up has to do with you choose your partners who have your interest.
And so if China has your interest and is giving you a zero tariff, why don't you go into that market? And so I want to find out what EU is doing in relaxing some of its restrictions into the market. Thank you.
Speaker 4
Merci pour cette question, monsieur. Donc je propose que chacune vous puissiez intervenir sur l'une ou l'autre question. Madame Terlaak.
Ingeborg Ter Laak
Okay, I'll start and I'll start with the storyteller from Madagascar. Thank you so much for your question. Thank you both for your questions. And they were both actually about young people and finding deployment and finding valuable jobs which give them, you know, challenges and also prosperity in the long run and in the future. And you say people are still migrating, are still wishing to go to Europe because they believe the future is in Europe.
And I think that's a very, it's very important to realize that from the European side, we also see the future is Africa. Because if you look at the current situation in the world, you see economic growth, we see it will, I believe personally, that in the upcoming ten years, the biggest markets, economic markets, will be Southeast Asia and will be Africa due to population growth, but also the development which Africa is going through. So maybe it feels like for some Africans that the grass is greener on the other side of the Mediterranean, but I think it's very important to keep the knowledge and the brains within Africa because if you really want to have these prosperous jobs, this creativity, this entrepreneurship, it can be deployed in Africa. And as Hilde is saying, we both have been there a lot. And you were saying there's so many restrictions in Europe.
There are not so many restrictions yet in Africa. So it is a great continent to explore and to be an entrepreneur and to, yeah, to start a business. And about the restrictions Europe holds, yes, we do. And I believe some of them are very good in the long run, maybe not on the short terms, but are good in the long run. If it comes to China and they don't offer those restrictions, in the end, it's up to the Africans and the African countries who they want to do business with and who they choose.
That's not up to us. But I think it's important for us to see if we have restrictions which are not of use, do not benefit Europe and do not benefit Africa, do not benefit the world, we should be cutting red tape, we should restrict them. But if they are useful in the long run, even if it feels like restriction or administrative burden right now, I think we should talk together and do so because in the long run, I believe it's better for the planet, it's better for profit, it's better for people. Thank you.
Hilde Vautmans
Merci. C'était une réponse excellente, je trouve. Mais je vais juste rajouter sur Madagascar. Pour les jeunes, je suis un peu choquée, mais je comprends ce que tu dis. Oui, on est quand même un peu pessimistes, hein, les jeunes en Europe, mais aussi les jeunes en Afrique.
Parce que si l'Europe et l'Afrique travaillent ensemble, on est vraiment les plus forts. Vous avez la jeunesse, vous avez les minéraux. Nous, on a ici les industries, on a les possibilités. Je pense vraiment qu'on doit beaucoup plus travailler ensemble, et surtout pour la jeunesse. Et sur les recommandations qu'on a votées maintenant à Eswatini, il y a vraiment beaucoup de choses sur la jeunesse, sur la mobilité des jeunes, sur Erasmus, pour travailler ensemble, sur la reconnaissance des diplômes, ce qui est nécessaire si on veut qu'on puisse travailler ensemble.
Je sens ça aussi, mais on ne doit pas être pessimistes.
Je pense que maintenant on va continuer à travailler sur cela et ça va avancer et ça va aider beaucoup de jeunes parce que je pense vraiment que la jeunesse c'est le futur. Pour le Ghana, il est où ? Ah voilà. Pour le développement économique, pour le trade, ça c'est vraiment un sujet qu'on a abordé beaucoup et je pense que ça va être le sujet le plus important aussi l'année qui vient. Parce qu'on sent très bien qu'on a encore trop de restrictions pour qu'on puisse faire travailler ensemble.
Et je pense aussi que nos économies cherchent des marchés pour investir. Mais c'est pas seulement investir comme avant. On veut investir comme deux partenaires égaux, equal, equal partners. I think that's very important, that if we invest, if European companies will invest in Africa, that it is on an equal basis and that we work with SMEs on the field, that we work with African companies on the field. And that's very important because then you create a labor market in the field.
And that's what we need to find because I think in the past it was too much, yeah, we will come and give aid. I think what China is doing, they come and they borrow money and they invest, but they don't really work together with the Africans. I think European Africans share the same values and I think we are much more closer linked. So I think there are a lot of possibilities and it is also voted in Eswatini in the recommendations. We want an infrastructure fund, we want to help European companies.
We have Global Gateway here in Europe to invest in Africa, but do it together with the Africans and equal partners. And that's something I really want to insist. The period of lot of giving aid, that's over, I think. I think we really have to work together as equal partners and that's the future of the both continents. And that I think it's of the utmost importance, but working also on the access to our markets.
I think that's very important. And I think that we all know it in the bureau of the DAFR meeting, we know that we have to work on that, on the trade issue, on the investment, on the equal partnership, on the young people, on the labor mobility. Yeah, so you're touching the right questions.
Speaker 3
Merci beaucoup. Je pense qu'il y avait une question de la part de Madame Terlaak.
Ingeborg Ter Laak
But it's more a question to you as a journalist because I believe storytelling or content creator, I think it's very important to have good journalism within Europe, within Africa, because you channel opinions within Africa and that's very important, but also very effective for policymakers and we rely on independent media.
But what we also see from our side and I'm just talking about one of my colleagues who got really bashed, can I say that in here, on social media after, yeah you remember, after a resolution on Burkina Faso. And it was really harsh but it was all based on misinformation, fake news and it's so hard to counterplay it. So I was really wondering how do you look at, you know, this misinformation, fake news, what, how do you deal with it, what can we learn from you how to deal with it because it affects us as well as European Parliament.
Isabelle Zerrouk
Merci pour cette question. Peut-être que je propose que l'un ou l'une de vous réponde si c'est possible évidemment sans avoir une fonction de porte-parole mais peut-être la dame oui qui vient de lever la main et après le monsieur du Ghana, je pense que vous êtes du Ghana aussi, oui. Madame et monsieur.
Salome Gregory
Thank you. My name is Salome Gregory, a journalist from the Citizen newspaper. Tanzania, yes. I'm still there on the employment or on the youth and I'm so much curious to understand maybe what are the influential areas that Africa can tap into in terms of stimulating job creations for young people. Thank you.
Emmanuel
Okay, greetings to you excellencies. Thank you for your service. My name is Emmanuel from Nigeria. I work with the BBC but I'm a multimedia journalist focused on emerging creative economy and on sports and youth development in Africa as well as globally anyways. I've got two questions which I would hope you would be able to address critically.
When I arrived in Brussels on Monday and I visited the EU building, one image that stood out for me was the image of democracy, means democracy is very key at the heart of what the EU as an organization and all its institutions stands for. I'm a Nigerian and Nigeria is the largest democracy in Africa in terms of the people involved. We have a population of more than 200 million people. Our next general elections is coming up next year. But there have been concerns and I want to know if the EU has been taking note of these concerns.
First, the fact that many opposition parties are now struggling to even exist. The current administration in Nigeria has kind of taken lots of measures to suppress opposition voices from deregistration to INEC issuing some court orders or decisions to silence the opposition practically. Is the EU worried? The EU has monitored lots of general elections in Nigeria and offered recommendation but most of these recommendations are more reactive than proactive. Is the EU taking note of this trends where opposition parties in Nigeria are being suppressed, are being bullied into irrelevance while the leading party now is advancing and acquiring more seats and more governors on their side.
So I would like to know if you are monitoring the situation and what kind of advocacy are you pushing forward in this direction. The second question is about a concern that has persisted and affected our continent for long that I think the EU has systematically not been very direct in addressing them and that's the issue of corruption.
Speaker 14
Uh, I would say as much as, um, the aids have been coming from the EU and other donors globally, the people of Africa are not feeling the impact because the the political leaders on our continent have have decided to be corrupt. They are not using this resource for the benefit of the people. You have the opportunity of interacting with them at the highest level, opportunity that even many of the citizens do not have. How do you put pressure on them, uh, to ensure that this resource that you make available to them are used for the benefit of their people? Now I say this because I know that many of the wealth which they accumulate and steal, they come back to lodge them in your banks.
Uh, they lodge them in financial institutions that are within your territory. So you have access, you have knowledge of where this money are, which is which is quite interesting to state. So what are your own measures? What are you doing to ensure that corruption does not persist because young people on the continent are losing hope? And that's why the question on migration and sponsorship are coming up because the government is not even doing is not making any efforts to empower the young people who should be benefiting from some of this support which you have decided to offer the continent.
So these are my concerns and as members of the European Parliament, are you seeing corruption as a critical concern that must be addressed when, uh, dealing with the African continent?
Isabelle Zerrouk
Euh, merci beaucoup pour ces questions fort intéressantes. On va peut-être quand même déjà tenter d'y répondre, puis on reprendra ensuite et on n'oubliera pas la question de Madame Terlac qu'elle vous a adressée tout à l'heure. Mais, euh, on va déjà commencer par Madame Vautmans, puis Madame Terlac pour répondre aux trois questions.
Hilde Vautmans
Okay, very short, uh, on Tanzania, eh, what can we do, uh, for stimulating jobs, eh, which direction do you go? Well, I I just come back from Mozambique. And there we visited really very nice project where we saw like young people just being educated in a lot of things, but that are necessary on the field. And so we worked together there with companies in the field, so we are helping with the education and they get a traineeship in the companies and then they can stay most of the time. Because that's I think what is lacking, eh, it's not only education, but it's also find the education should lead to a job, eh?
Because sometimes you see in the field that you have educated people and you have jobs that cannot be fulfilled. So you have to combine the labor market with the education market. And that I visited in Mozambique, it was really wonderful. So I think that are good examples that we should also give to other countries to learn from and to help to put it on there. And I think we can talk about many topics of jobs.
I think you have, uh, jobs in infrastructure, you have jobs, uh, in food creation, you have jobs in agriculture. I was at Eastern, I was two weeks in Tanzania with my family. I think if you look the potential that tourism has in your country, wow, wow, it was so amazing. I mean, it was fantastic. So I think, uh, you have a bright future in front of you and I think all young people can even go and work for the tourist sector because if if you do it well, I think I should send the whole world visiting Tanzania and visiting the the animals over there.
On Nigeria, um, yeah, um, you said of course democracy, uh, it's it's really important. And I think Europe knows that. So, uh, we did already observation missions in the past with elections in Nigeria. So I will talk to Barry Andrews who did it the previous term, he's now the president of the Commission of Development. So maybe we can think of sending again an observation mission.
And we have here in this house a program that calls democracy support. Also there we can have a look like what can we do for help the capacity building. And if of course you really say us like the opposition is really being suppressed, we can have a look at it and we can vote resolutions. But we haven't discussed it yet, but we can have a closer look on that. And corruption, yeah, corruption, yeah.
It's not me who will decide on that, but the Parliament, so we can have a look at that.
Shall I start with corruption?
Ingeborg Ter Laak
I will start with the corruption. Oh my god. But I was just checking, but there's nobody here from Sierra Leone, is it? No. Because I was recently have been involved in a corruption, or I don't know if you call it corruption, yeah, it's misleading of money within Sierra Leone.
And I think you're so right. But I think you have to bear in mind that corruption is not solely a problem of an individual country within Africa. It affects us in Europe. So make it tangible for European politicians or European people how it hurts and affects us. And I will give you the example of Sierra Leone which I was, you know, in the not in the middle but on the sideline I was working with.
Sierra Leone holds one of the biggest criminals of Europe. And he ships out through Sierra Leone from Latin America, I don't even exactly know how he does it, from Latin America to Europe, drugs. And recently, it was like a month ago, they they captured one of his boats and I I don't know the numbers but it was billions of dollars of euros of of drugs. It was the biggest catch ever. And this this guy is from the Netherlands, this criminal.
He married to the daughter of the the president of Sierra Leone. And he his turnover a month is three or four times the GDP of Sierra Leone in total. So there's no way Sierra Leone wants to extradite this criminal to Europe because we want to have him in jail. We know where he is, but we need extradition. So we need the people of Sierra Leone say this is enough.
We don't want this. Send this guy to Europe, send him to the Netherlands, we convict him. So we need to work together if it comes to corruption. Make it clear, make it feasible, make it visible for everybody, make it tangible, even for the people in in Europe. So that's why I'm so happy you're here because media play a very, very important role in in doing so.
And it also counts for democracy. As Hilde was saying, we have missions to election missions, is that what it's called?
Election observation.
Ingeborg Ter Laak
Election observation mission. I would really invite African countries have election observation missions in Europe. Because you say something about your democracy, there is a backlash of democracy, I can say so, you can say so. There's a backlash of democracy in Europe as well, in the country where I come from, the Netherlands, it is there. And it's happening.
And it's important that observations missions take place from other countries within Europe. And they tell us, they hold us, they mirror us what is happening here. Because that's the only way it's going to be equal. As Hilde was saying, we really trying to make this to leverage in a better speaking terms and have a leverage. Because if a Nigerians parliamentarians come to Europe and see our elections, they can also take it home and feel like how do I stand to this, how do I want to do it in my own home country.
So this elections missions, we do not do that just for the benefit of Africa, we also do it for the benefit of ourselves. And I think that's very important to also have that that in mind. Yes. Thank you.
Hilde Vautmans
And then maybe just because you also talked about corruption and also the aid that is not arriving where it should arrive. I don't know who posed the question, yeah. I think that's something that this Parliament takes really a lot attention.
Because we want, of course, if aid has been sent, is being sent, has been sent, that it arrives where it needs to arrive. So if you have indications on that, please inform us. Because we have mechanisms here where we do some checking up if the money arrives where it needs to arrive. Because that's the purpose. So if you have indications that it's not the case, please give them to us.
And we will have a look at them. Because we really care that the money arrives where it is supposed to arrive. And we also want with our project that it makes a difference. Because sometimes you think from here on, yeah, yeah, it's a good project, but then when we go to the field, then we sometimes understand the problems, what it is on the field. So that's also why we travel and why we do missions and why we invite Africans to come.
And I think with the new assembly that is installed between Europe and Africa, that we will have to talk much more towards each other to understand what is happening on the field. So that we can do it better than we did in the past. I think from both sides. I look in the mirror and you look in the mirror. I think it needs two to tango, we say in Belgium.
But I hope I answered a little bit the question.
Emmanuel
I just wanted to ask, how is this working? Okay. As regards your response on Nigeria and the oppression of the opposition, does the EU consider sanctions? Because I know sanctions are one of the tools which you use to ensure compliance by, I mean, partners at some point. Do you consider sanctions as a means of ensuring that democratic values are respected in the conduct of elections?
This is why I'm asking, because I am worried that the current government of Nigeria has this approach of lobbying Western powers to think everything is all right. The current president has a great relationship with France, which is a big, big member nation of the European Union. But on the home front, they are not doing anything to help the people and they're suppressing the opposition voices.
Hilde Vautmans
Maybe because I need to go, there is an ambassador waiting for me. But on the concrete issue of Nigeria, I think because you will still stay till Friday or Saturday, I think you will also see the EEAS and the Council. On sanctions, it's there that you should ask the question. The thing that a Parliament can do, we can have a look at it and we can vote a resolution where we then ask sanctions or measures. But since you're still here, and I don't know, have you seen EEAS already and the Council?
I think that's the question that you should address over there. But we will also have a look at it. And please, can you excuse me? It's not that I don't want to stay, but it's quite a busy time. So I hope you enjoy your stay.
I hope you can make wonderful articles, wonderful storytelling. And I hope to see you back soon. And Ingeborg will stay a little bit.
Hilde Vautmans
At five she also has to leave. But so I leave you in the hands with the advisors and with Ingeborg. Okay, merci. And also Jérôme, Jérôme peut répondre aussi, Jérôme. Thank you, thank you.
Isabelle Zerrouk
Voilà, donc on va continuer avec les questions et c'est évidemment Madame Terlaak qui va vous répondre. Merci beaucoup Hilde Vautmans, à bientôt. Bonne réunion. Je vous écoute Madame.
Cynthia Areh
Is it on? Okay.
Good afternoon. I'm Cynthia Areh from Nigeria. I work with Arise TV and I'm a news anchor and correspondent. Unfortunately, the lady is leaving right now, but she did mention that if there's an issue where she wants a case where the money arrives where it's supposed to arrive and if it does and it makes a difference. And that prompted, that's a premise for my question.
I wrote it down, sorry, I just don't want to take too much of your time. Now I recall that the first ever EU-Nigeria Peace, Security and Defense Dialogue took place in Brussels earlier this year. And we've seen that between 2015 and 2025, about 700 million euros has gone into peace and security funding in Nigeria. But as things stand right now, we're, I can say we feel as Nigerians like we're on the brink of extinction to a large extent because the terrorists have taken over the country to a very large extent, even though that's being played down. So I'm wondering, as the EU has invested so much in security and it's deteriorated to this point, what are your concerns in terms of asking for, let me just use ROI, as return on investment?
What's that money being used for? Is it going to where it's supposed to be going or has it been diverted? Thank you.
Ingeborg Ter Laak
It's excellent questions and if I had the answers, then it would be a perfect world. I wish I had the answers. I don't have it. Yes, we ask for returns on investments. Yes, we monitor the effects of missions.
Yes, we monitor what's happening with money, but it is a struggle, as I said. I was in the eastern side of Congo in 2005 and beginning of 2006. The war is, you know, I've been there in 2024 last time. It was 19 years later. It was about, it was even worse if you ask me.
So that makes me very sad. So how does it make me, it makes me extremely sad, especially as sad as you said. Nigeria has 200 million people. It's so many people, you know, we sometimes forget that Europe only has 450 million people. You know, it's only one country has, you know, Africa is so much bigger than Europe.
You have so many people. And I think it's very important we realize that. That's why we always stay strong together with Hilde, with other members of the bureau, to ask for, you know, put Africa on the agenda. For if you ask me, we can help each other a little bit better and it would help. It's difficult to say if you're from Nigeria, if you're from Congo or Sudan, but we put Congo, Sudan, Nigeria, Burkina Faso all the time on the agenda.
And it would help if Africa would put Europe on the agenda also because we have a war going on on our continent as well and many people are being killed there. And also Russia is active in Africa, recruiting actively youngsters from Africa. So it's your war as well. I mean, right now, I'm sorry to say so, there are Africans shooting Europeans. So that's what happens at the moment.
And it's important for us that you talk and put our wars at your agendas as well because that makes it easier for us to talk to you about your problems and for you to talk to us about our problems. Thank you.
Isabelle Zerrouk
Merci. Je prends d'autres questions s'il y en a. Est-ce que vous souhaitez, oui monsieur.
Speaker 17
The EU has expressed support for reconstruction aid for Iran, framing it as a matter of justice, recovery, and international responsibility. How does the EU reconcile that position with its more cautious or almost absent posture on reparatory justice for Africa, where the legacies of colonialism, extraction, and structural inequality remain unsolved? Thank you.
Ingeborg Ter Laak
Europe is trying to do its best to help with any, any crisis in the world. And at the moment, Europe is the biggest donor in Africa. And I think that's the state of play we have now. Is it enough? Probably not.
But will it be enough for Iran? Probably not. But we try to help as many countries as we can all the time.
Isabelle Zerrouk
Merci, Madame Terlaak. Y a-t-il d'autres questions ? Alors, si ce n'est pas le cas, merci beaucoup, Madame, pour votre participation. Merci à vous tous pour ces passionnantes questions. Vraiment.
Et n'hésitez pas, vous avez nos contacts, le contact des bureaux des deux députés qui se sont adressés à vous. Donc vous pouvez toujours contacter soit les services du Parlement, soit les bureaux des députés, soit mon collègue, Monsieur Rivière, pour des questions de follow-up. En tout cas, merci beaucoup pour votre participation et encore une bonne journée. Au revoir.