Abstract
Over the past three years, negotiations under the parallel processes of the post-Cotonou agreements and the agreements reached between the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU), initiated following the AU-EU Abidjan Summit in November 2017, have adopted a cynical and unproductive tone. While the initial aim was to ensure a more solid preparation for Africa's engagement with the EU and to rebalance their relationship, the EU's constant demonstration of passive-aggressive attitudes, avoiding direct communication with more demanding African interlocutors while demonstrating support for more conciliatory partners, has tarnished the negotiating landscape. This trend reinforces the idea that you don't get what's fair, but rather what's diligently negotiated, highlighting the unproductive nature of these interactions, which ultimately yield few tangible results.
