Introduction to African Union and European Union

African Union is one of the most important and an intergovernmental organization, which comprises of 55 other African States whereas the European Union is a combination of 28 European States. African Union’s main aim is to maintain and balance security and peace among the states so that states maintain the stability, on the other hand, European Union aims at good services and free movement of people and capital internally. Both the unions spark with the concept of unity. In modern Africa, Libyan president Muammar El Gaddafi and in Europe Winston Churchill have strong visions of making United States of Africa and a federal EU respectively.

The federation knowledge was, however; fell for a more functionalist method for integration. This idea and theory, incorporated by Ernst B. Haas, believed that integration initially starts with technical and noncontroversial sectors. The AU and the EU have amazingly similar features. The AU guidelines were made as per the EU only. With only some fewer exceptions, else AU is exactly similar and same as a mirror image. The African Court of Justice (ACJ) in 2006 combined with the Peoples ‘Civil liberties in African court to form the Court of Human Rights and Justice in Africa in short ACJ & HR. For emphasizing on similarities, institutional order is not important.

COMESA aims at maintaining a balance and a level of equality between the member states. It has a goal of building a fiduciary relationship and solidarity between the member states. Along with this harmony should be maintained in between the members in writing and explaining all the policies and programs relating to the integration of different regions. So that no aggression and chaos be there in between the member states.

The COMESA targeted at one thing very important that is the protection of the rights of people and gives their right’s proper recognition in order to promote them in an agreement with the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. To ask for more participation of public for development programs as well. To make sure that each state who is a member should be following all the democratic rules and regulations. COMESA is an organization, which collaborates in all the economic and social sectors. However, because of resources Limitations, the application of activities/programs arranged to parts where there can be effects done. Following are the five priorities for the next coming years:-

1. Target is to maintain the consequences for years i.e., a rise in productivity in industries, dispensation, manufacturing, and agro-based industries.
2. To provide reasonable goods for cross-border trade and
3. To increase in wealth and creation of jobs opportunities.
4. With a special focus on the joint development of rivers and lake to reduce dependence on rain-fed cultivation and new points on food security at the district levels, national and local levels; development of conveyance and infrastructures services with special stress on connecting the rural areas. In addition, African and European Union accept it quite well.

Turning onto the next topic as it encounters handled by regional integration in Africa, it is very beneficial to start with a short overview of the position of few of the most important regional integration labors. Many regional organizations recognized in order to exploit the benefits of regional integration. Furthermore, the current regional organizations have attained changing degrees of success in achieving their proposed goals. Many factors have been playing vital role in encouraging nations to build regional blocs, with the continuance of peace and security. Most among these are in the form of free trade agreements (FTAs), with final movement near customs unions (CLs). There are many examples other than COMESA like- ECOWAS, WAEMU, EAC, and SADC.

Similarities and Differences in Regional Integrations

  These regional integrations blocs broadly state that its goals are to encourage social and cultural integration and cooperation, to establish monetary union; and to upgrade living standards to enhance economic stability, to build stronger relations among states, and add to progress on the African Continent’s development. Development in trade and regional integration in the area is encouraging. More than two-thirds member’s states have removed tariff barriers on unrefined goods as per the Diplomat and International Relations.

The difficulties faced by the African Union are on a very wide and large level. There is no count of problems, not only that but there are no fix areas too, whether it is education, health, agriculture, electrification, housing, transport etc. One of the foremost problems that are handled by the AU is its steep membership size. Fifty around member states, possible pitfalls that could converse the development of AU are multifarious. It includes, and not restricted to, optimal making the move like snail’s speed, or even slowly stopping.

Not like the EU’s regional combination or integration opportunity ride. Even though it was accidental and it was comparatively very easy to forge agreement on many issues. As per the theory of neo-realist, assuming that states are normal actors and react in very self-concerned manners, but inclined by domestic actors, getting to a harmonious position at the worldwide level may be thoroughly hard. The EU is also beneficial in how gradually hard choice making has developed and how it broadens its membership.

The problems that the AU, then, faces are- how to fake harmony or accord minute popularity on crucial practical issues. If Union is not able to decide, then it might call it the day and pack. Truly, if associate states start extracting from the Union, because of a hindrance with delay, the insight does not portend fine in case of AU. However, a choice-building viewpoint, the least the member of states, the better happens on any withdrawal of connection of the AU which is expected to be negative.

It is an ideal strategy to increase members than to lose them, as the earlier signals progress’ outcome as a possibility of supposing more duties at the international level, while the final means that something is not at well. At the beginning, not just the AU boost with a massive crowd of fellow states, nonetheless it is trying to work on all aspects. One of the experiences of integration regionally in a generic way, and the skill of EU does in particular, is that it is a progression and not an occurrence. In the custom related to neo-functionalism, it is best to mix sector of African economies at a time, and gently, design a new-shared judgment-making epicenter.

Challenges Faced by African Union

The EU has started from the bottom to integrate route by going systematically, where it have started from the top down designs by adopting grand philosophies. On the other side of it European and African states has rejected the idea of surrendering some of the power of their states to a central entity. With the help of functional approach, EU has succeeded to integrate the European states.

The AU and EU have a difference in terms of money, time and the size. Van der Mei states that were in the beginning EU had to deal with six members only, the AU was there with fifty states. EU is more effective in the funding part than AU. In addition, EU formed in a somewhat steady and quiet context. The AU has faced grave conditions of war and the poverty in Africa along with severe issues of public health that includes HIV/AIDS and malaria. These problems were a failure in pursuing the agenda of AU as it somewhere affected on state infrastructure and lacking in supporting systems.

The regional Integrations’ most effective model includes the EU. By creating a single market, the union owes the reputation for achieving the great economy of the euro introduction and European citizenship establishments. Climate change is an issue of trans-boundary, which is the platform of EU. The Pan- African parliament is a reformation of an institution of AU, which is an inclusion of civil society through ECOSOCC, and NEPAD’s establishment that was encouraged. These organs could give a potential change.

EU in today’s scenario is completely different from the other Unions. Ben Rosamond once stated that, the EU is ‘by some extent – the most advanced assignment of regional integration worldwide’. This is mainly because it has an ‘established set of organizations’. The present progressive stage of EU’s official development is the result of additional five eras of integrative struggles involving the rising of countries, growing from six to twenty-seven, since integrative challenges began in 1952 with the initiation of the European steel and coal community.

This report examines the link used in that theoretical and experiential literature analyses Highlights of the key conclusion that the trade of intra-African is still very low even with the existence of frequent trading blocs, there are also some of these contributions to local skill creation. The trading blocs are not showing its influences on the poverty rates and the GDP increments.

Progress in Regional Integration in Africa

There are various environmental factors such as social, economic, and political encounters, they also deteriorate the African trading blocs and the skills that encourage integration trade. Additionally, the positive impact on the intra-African trade along with the economic growth improved. For eliminating the blockades to engagement, and managing the product flow, facilities, investment and the people they all are working together to form the economic communities and the trading blocs, as they have encouraged by the African countries for reintroducing the regional economic cooperation interest in Africa. By being a big part of trade internationally, they desired as to decrease the dependency on continents and the industrialized economies.

In African communities, there were several regional exchanges. In addition, the local manufactures in the pre-colonial Africa already made equivalent items that are worth to goods through pre-industrial Europe. Therefore, there are European merchants who have started a business with Africa’s Atlantic coast, which created in long establishments, trading population and that organized by the local rulers and they all were experienced for this field. Some of the merchants from the communities such as- the Portuguese who settled close to African rivers, where they use to deliver as mediators in between Africa and European traders. African were profitable with the completed work of good such as clothes, jewelry, copper, iron and the machine-driven toys where the European was obtaining the textiles, gum spices, ivory, and the carvings. They have assimilated African slaves for delivering the low-priced and fortified labor for their plantations and providing the intercontinental slave trade.

The African economics and the trade planned to aim the target of helping as providers of short-cost manual labor and the no-worth-added fresh resources to the overseas markets and marketplaces for factory-made products. Many of the jobs and employment happen casually across badly managed borders. There are many local trading blocs in African trading blocs. The Major goal of African traders is to realize the improved regional integration from duties and the financial unions, with some trade areas that are entirely free to participate including general regulatory and the legitimate framework.

The former preferential trade area (PTA) has been swapped with the COMESA existed from 1981. Formed as an institution of independent states and accepted on the certain agreement that includes developing and human resources progress and the sensible use of regular resources. The main target of it is the creation of a great and tough economy and a trading unit which is capable of overwhelming all the difficulties and the obstacles or capable to face all the challenges by the nation. It has an extensive range of series of other goals as well and that includes its significances the advancement of security and the regional peace.

Benefits of Regional Integration

In this approach, the AU appears conscious of this slow and steady strategy, and appears to promise to it by devices for producing worldwide European Union organs. The provision, which been hailed extensively as the strongest and boldest statements by leaders of Africa and was rewritten because of the administrative decision by Bush in 2003 to conquer Iraq. Thus, at the largeness of the destruction in western Sudan, African Union appeared untidy and undefined of the appropriate reply, though it eventually sent around 800 around peacekeepers.

The AU needs to accelerate the formation of international establishments, utmost particularly, the authorized Court of Justice. Court of law is important for deciding the disputes and deducing the requirements mentioned in the Act. However, the Gathering predicted to stand in and for the ACJ until it enters, as per to the article mentioned in the Act, the prearrangement is nevertheless uneasy with the most possible problems. primary demanding a group of Heads of State and the Governmental arbitration cases .

that involves numerous of the old traditional ways of performing business in a number of African countries— the nonappearance of a perfect and a good intention with regards to separation of the supremacies and authorities. It suggests a capable fight of concern. Secondary, it could be the cases that earlier were decided by the Assembly for an appeal session to ACJ just after the selection of the apex court.  The other task is that wherever the Act, which is constitutive debates about the whole course of spread over for association, and not cleared for the criteria related to membership.

The utmost and best to do is to make sure of sticking together the as per the criteria by finishing from the linked provisions in the Act. For an example, reasons for delaying and the roots for the burden of authorizations offer some of the hints. It is quite a number of times shown that any member state adjourned for coming to control through unconstitutional means, then, a situation for membership duly constituted rule in accord with the constitutional provisions of the country.  

In a different context, the government chose, especially ever since the goals of the Union is to promote democratic principles. It is the aptitude to adopt the duties of membership, giving out on all annual dues of a union of the reasonable amount of i.e., the budget and will to admit the Union’s statement, as it would constitute key benchmarks. The aspect may be far ado about nil, as because of just Morocco an African country that has stayed out of the Union.

Comparison in Funding and Context

Conclusion

The above-mentioned debate proves that integration regionally is a potential cure for Africa’s disgraceful situation, and the AU has a huge and positive progress in that way. Nevertheless, as the arguments also suggest, that to share the same names with the EU institutions not always meant that the AU shares the same and related familiarity as the EU. For starters, their situations related to history are now entirely different. Besides, the EU commences with six people in a group, well-off countries, on the other hand, African Union begins with poor mostly, and countries that very broadly in people, fiscal extent including the GDP’S and per capita income, and so forth.

In direction for African Union to excel and lead, every one of its institutes must work as per to the requirements of the concerned Act. Increase its financial mechanism by the union. That is, in classic EU language, very “own resources.” of its resources. The In Charge work efficiently with other associations at the worldwide level, while at the same time working as per functionaries of co-member states.

The requirements of the Act objectified properly, counting and permitting public societies entrée to the ring for plan beginning, program design, policy application, and rule settlement. The AU should work for the people of Africa and be relevant from the ground level. It is the societies of Africa that are left out extensively and largely out of the whole course, as because they are very less known regarding the African Union, or few strategies such as the peer of the realm Assessment method and NEPAD. This desires to amend by related more in the ways of Africa, and by also carrying judgment faster to the citizens, if the African Union faiths and beliefs to convey.  

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