Globewatch of March 24, 2024
Transcript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Hello and welcome to Globe Watch with me, Charles Obuney.
00:16 Ed from the office of the European Union delegation
00:19 here in Yaounde, Cameroon.
00:21 And you understood the European Union,
00:23 which is an association of 27 countries
00:26 with a population of nearly 500 million people
00:30 offering services, especially humanitarian security
00:34 and political cooperation in nearly all the ends
00:38 of the world.
00:39 What could be the work of the Department
00:42 for International Partnerships
00:44 at the external services of the European Union?
00:47 My guest today is our class advisor
00:52 and director general of international partnerships
00:55 at the European Union Commission.
00:59 Mr. Henry, thank you very much indeed
01:02 for being guest on our program.
01:05 - Well, thank you for having me.
01:06 I feel very privileged and honored
01:07 to be interviewed by you.
01:09 And of course, your program is very popular
01:13 and it's great to have the opportunity
01:15 to have a chat and share views with you.
01:18 - You are here in Yaounde, Cameroon
01:20 within the framework of the International Business Forum,
01:25 ADOPT Promote, in which plus 1,000 people
01:30 have attended with a plethora of companies.
01:35 Of what interest is such a gathering in Yaounde
01:41 to a touring institution like the European Union?
01:45 - Well, first and foremost, just to mention
01:48 that of course, PROMOTE is a well-known trade fair
01:51 which has been organized in Cameroon
01:55 annually and I think that this time,
01:58 the presence of European Union and its member states
02:02 was strongest than ever before.
02:06 And we also put up our Eurovillage
02:10 where the companies from different European Union
02:13 member states were also showcasing
02:15 many of the potential products, solutions, services
02:20 and the interest was also very big.
02:23 So for us, being present here is natural
02:26 because it is a big event and Cameroon
02:29 is our extremely important partner.
02:31 And that was in a way also, I would say,
02:36 a very good reason to have another important event
02:42 at the same time because--
02:46 - You held a European Union Cameroon Business Week
02:51 for the very first time.
02:52 This is a country which signed a bilateral
02:56 trading partnership with the European Union.
03:00 How many of your businesses were present at PROMOTE
03:04 and where were your core interests in particular?
03:08 - The EU Cameroon Business Forum and Business Week,
03:13 as you said yourself, was happening first time
03:17 and we are extremely pleased with this event
03:21 and it turned a new page also in our cooperation.
03:25 It added dimension of private sector cooperation
03:28 and it also brought in a number of companies
03:33 from EU and also from Cameroon.
03:35 The exact number of European companies
03:36 who actually participated in the business forum,
03:40 it's somewhere between 100 and 150
03:42 so we still have to make sure who actually came here
03:45 and who were present.
03:46 But we had about 150 registrations
03:49 and then of course many hundred companies
03:52 coming from Cameroon.
03:53 So this is now, I think, a very, very good framework
03:58 which also allows the private sector
04:01 to have business to business meetings,
04:03 create more partnerships,
04:05 create interesting opportunities
04:08 and most importantly, we also hope
04:10 that it will create investments,
04:12 European investments in Cameroon.
04:14 And many of the companies also who were here
04:16 used the opportunity to visit Promote
04:20 and also to see interesting solutions
04:24 which were offered there.
04:25 The European village, I mean, there was everything
04:28 from the small producers who were producing some spices
04:33 or who were producing, yeah,
04:35 or who were producing some, I would say,
04:38 juices up to those who of course were big equipment
04:46 and machinery manufacturers showcasing their products
04:51 and of course a lot who are involved in the digital sector
04:55 and I find it particularly interesting
04:58 because the digital sector is a sector
05:02 which can make a big difference in Cameroon as well
05:05 and there is a lot of interest,
05:06 especially among the young people,
05:07 to establish themselves in this sector,
05:09 create some startups, create some companies
05:12 and create jobs.
05:13 Which leads me also to another point
05:15 which I want to underline
05:16 because we are very happy that this week
05:19 really brought us many new opportunities.
05:22 I mean, first and foremost, our highest ever presence
05:25 in the Promote trade fair and of course the contacts there,
05:28 then our first ever EU Cameroon business forum,
05:32 but there was also a third extremely important initiative
05:35 which was the launch of the Team Europe initiative
05:39 investing in young business in Africa
05:41 and why I believe it is extremely precious.
05:44 This is a country which has a very high share
05:47 of young population, young population
05:49 who is very, very keen to find opportunities
05:52 and I met many of the young entrepreneurs
05:54 and you see the sparkle in the eyes,
05:56 they want to make a difference,
05:57 but there are also many challenges that they are facing.
06:00 One of the biggest challenges
06:01 is the issue about the access to financing.
06:04 - You just spoke about financing
06:07 and I was just going to talk about that in a moment.
06:10 We'll enter into the nitty gritties
06:11 of other issues in a moment.
06:13 One of the biggest selling points of the European Union
06:17 when it comes to their partnership with Africa today
06:19 and of course you manage those partnerships
06:21 from the highest policy level,
06:23 is the gateway which is the new financing mechanism
06:26 for enterprises and sponsoring of projects on the continent.
06:31 In simple terms, what does gateway mean?
06:35 - Well, you see, global gateway, EU flag, Cameroon flag,
06:39 so it brings us together, to answer very shortly.
06:43 But global gateway is our way
06:48 of interacting with our partners.
06:53 Our way of finding ways how to better support
06:57 these countries in their transition,
06:59 supporting also the sustainable development
07:02 and sustainable transition,
07:03 but also helping these countries
07:05 to make investments in infrastructure.
07:08 When we talk about Cameroon, for example,
07:10 energy, which has today came back
07:12 from the Nautical Hydropower Plant,
07:14 which has been possible also thanks to the EU's contribution
07:18 which is part of the global gateway.
07:20 We are being supporting the construction of bridges
07:25 which help Cameroon to be better connected
07:29 with some of its neighbors.
07:30 Again, it makes a huge difference on the ground.
07:32 It actually boosts trade, it boosts mobility.
07:35 And all this is something where we do it
07:39 under the global gateway umbrella.
07:40 Now, what is different?
07:41 One thing which is different is that
07:43 the global gateway strategy has also brought in
07:46 another concept which is Team Europe.
07:50 Team Europe and Team Europe initiatives.
07:52 And Team Europe means our 27 member states,
07:56 the European institutions,
07:57 and the development financing institutions
08:02 in the member states plus the European Investment Bank.
08:05 And potentially some other of the financing institutions.
08:07 So this is one Europe where we do it
08:11 under the same understanding.
08:14 - One of the platforms where European leaders
08:17 and African leaders meet from time to time
08:20 to discuss on their shared partnerships
08:24 and values for development, of course,
08:27 is the EU Africa Summit.
08:30 Before this, there was a financing mechanism
08:33 which existed for development projects on the continent.
08:37 What was the difference between the previous mechanism
08:42 and the new one?
08:43 - Let me first just, because in a way it also
08:47 becomes part of the answer to your question,
08:50 but let me just finish what I was talking about,
08:53 the global gateway, and what is very important there.
08:55 And what is the new component?
08:57 The new component is opening up to private sector
09:01 and creating private sector partnerships.
09:03 In our development cooperation in the past,
09:05 the focus was very much on the governments.
09:08 But we had very little to do with the private sector.
09:11 Now, under the global gateway umbrella,
09:13 also under the Team Europe initiatives,
09:16 we bring the private sector together.
09:17 This allows us also to organize
09:19 the first ever EU Cameroon Business Forum.
09:22 In a way, it's self-evident that we should have
09:24 this forum a long time ago.
09:26 Why now?
09:27 Because the global gateway makes it possible.
09:29 And with the global gateway,
09:30 and your question was also about the financing instruments,
09:33 we are pooling the instruments also better.
09:35 We are finding the possibilities also to have the grants,
09:40 to have the, well, the blending with the, let's say,
09:46 financing coming from the development financing institutions,
09:50 the grants coming from the commission.
09:52 The idea is also to de-risk the investments,
09:55 which very often is an issue with the--
09:56 - Which is an increase in--
09:58 - Guarantees also.
09:59 - Guarantees, but equally you have increased
10:00 the number of participation of the private sector
10:02 in your financing mechanism.
10:04 And if I understand the spirit behind that,
10:06 or you may clarify that,
10:08 I know that in the previous financing mechanisms,
10:11 good governance was a key factor
10:13 because you were mostly dealing with government to government,
10:15 which means that in a new dispensation,
10:17 there will be less talk of human rights,
10:19 there will be less talk of democracy,
10:21 there will be less talk of good governance.
10:24 Is that what it means?
10:25 Because it will be dealing mostly with the private sector.
10:27 You will not be talking much more with presidents,
10:29 prime ministers, ministers,
10:31 and you understand what I'm saying?
10:33 - Global gateway.
10:34 - On the contrary, it's going to be increased.
10:37 - I think you are right.
10:38 It is going to be increased because global gateway
10:41 is also a value-based strategy.
10:45 EU is never, ever going to lower its values,
10:50 the key values, what you also mentioned,
10:54 being the human rights--
10:55 - Democracy. - Adherence to democracy.
10:56 - The rule of law. - The rule of law.
10:57 - Human rights. - Exactly.
11:00 This will always remain as a pillar.
11:02 It will always remain as a fundament for our cooperation.
11:06 And what we have been doing is,
11:08 we have been adding some new elements.
11:10 And the private sector cooperation is actually,
11:12 when we look at the overall package,
11:15 it still takes rather limited share,
11:18 but it is the first time we have been opening up
11:21 and making it possible for them also to benefit
11:23 from the development financing,
11:26 be it coming from the member states
11:28 or be it coming from the European financing institutions.
11:30 - In this new framework that you have crafted,
11:35 there are a couple of areas of interest in Africa
11:40 to drive development, to drive economic growth,
11:42 and to drive the reduction of migration,
11:47 which is a core issue, especially in North Africa
11:50 and Southern Europe in particular.
11:52 Possibly you are looking at climate change.
11:55 Possibly you are looking at the digital environment,
12:00 plus 450 million young people on the continent
12:02 are digitally connected, or people on the continent.
12:06 Possibly you are looking at which way
12:10 you are going to invest in those areas
12:13 in the context marked by the African continental
12:16 free trade area and the geopolitical turmoil
12:19 in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
12:22 - Well, Africa is of course continuously
12:27 one of our key partners as a continent,
12:31 and of course then we talk about individual countries,
12:33 and of course being here, I really want to underline
12:36 also the importance of Cameroon as a pillar of stability
12:40 for the whole Central African region.
12:41 And that's why we also not only engage,
12:44 but we are expanding our engagement,
12:46 which I think we could also see over the last week
12:50 while I was here, I also had the pleasure of talking
12:52 to six members of your government,
12:54 plus the Prime Minister, His Excellency,
12:57 and the discussions were very good,
12:59 very honest, very open, but also we went into
13:02 concrete ideas what we are going to do more in the future.
13:07 The Global Gateway, you see, is focusing
13:11 on the priority areas that we have defined,
13:13 but they all very much interlinked and intertwined.
13:17 It has, because it supports the investments in energy,
13:21 it supports the investments in transport
13:23 and infrastructure, it supports investment in digital,
13:25 what you already mentioned, also health, also education.
13:30 They are all central for the development of any country
13:35 and any socioeconomic environment.
13:39 So while we are doing that, investment in infrastructure
13:44 creates more mobility, creates more connectivity,
13:46 investment in energy makes energy available
13:48 and also more available,
13:50 and also hopefully more affordable.
13:53 Investments in education and health
13:54 don't need to be explained.
13:56 Digital, which is, as you say, great opportunity
14:00 if we could be able to use it even more.
14:02 But this all is also our toolbox to deal, for example,
14:07 with issues which are high in the agenda
14:10 of the European citizens, like, for example,
14:13 illegal migration.
14:14 And when you create better business conditions,
14:18 when you create a better environment,
14:19 when you create hope, then you will also have less problems
14:24 when it comes to the illegal migration.
14:25 We need to make sure that the societies here
14:28 are developing and that these societies
14:30 are telling to their young people,
14:31 you have your opportunities here, your hope is here,
14:35 and that helps both of us.
14:37 - You are a native of Estonia,
14:42 the world's most digitalized nation.
14:45 - Thank you for saying that.
14:47 - Well, I'm not the one saying it, it is science.
14:49 Luckily, I have been to Estonia.
14:51 You have had more than 20 years of experience
14:56 within the European Union institutions
14:59 and you minister in your country.
15:01 Today, you handle international partnerships
15:05 at the external services of the European Union.
15:08 In simple English, what does your job entail?
15:12 - My job entails to strengthen and widen
15:17 and deepen these partnerships that we are forging
15:22 with our partner countries
15:23 under the Global Gateway Strategy
15:25 and in a good spirit of Team Europe.
15:28 And a lot of it is also to do areas
15:33 like infrastructure development.
15:36 And if we look at the African continent,
15:39 in the Global Gateway Strategy,
15:40 we have defined 11 strategic corridors.
15:44 By the way, two of those corridors concern also Cameroon
15:47 and the ports of Douala and Kribi
15:49 and of course connecting to Chad
15:52 and also connecting to Uganda.
15:54 So promotion of these corridors
15:57 is definitely one of the things that I'm much involved in.
16:01 The second thing is also to support the development
16:06 of business to business relations.
16:08 I mean, I was here for the business forum
16:13 between EU and Cameroon.
16:14 I'm also involved in developing a new,
16:18 it's not necessarily new,
16:20 but it is, I would say, a most future proof
16:24 and future perspective transport corridor
16:26 between Asia and Europe,
16:27 which is the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor
16:30 linking China and Southeast Asia
16:33 through the Central Asian countries,
16:35 through the Caspian Sea,
16:37 through the Caucasus and Turkey to Europe.
16:40 A corridor which today is absolutely essential
16:45 because in the past,
16:47 there was the so-called Northern Corridor,
16:49 which goes through Russia.
16:51 But you know, now there are less and less
16:55 of those companies who want to have their goods
16:58 transported via Russia
16:59 on top of that also the sanctions.
17:01 - Of course, you have a very good relationship now
17:04 with Russia because of the war in Ukraine.
17:07 But strategically, COVID-19 showed the whole world
17:12 the importance of technology
17:18 in the future of the world we will be living.
17:21 And one of the areas of technology
17:24 is intensive digital transformation.
17:29 And you talked about that
17:32 at the beginning of our conversation.
17:35 When you look at the EU-Africa relationship,
17:40 how much resources are you injecting
17:44 in the digital space to solve some of the vulnerabilities
17:49 that we saw during COVID,
17:52 that if we cannot transport goods physically,
17:55 at least we can trade virtually?
17:58 - Before answering to that,
17:59 I just want to comment on one thing that you said
18:02 about the COVID-19, which, and you're absolutely right,
18:05 it really showed how important it is also
18:08 to develop further the digital solutions,
18:11 digital services, digital single market and beyond.
18:14 But it also showed one thing.
18:15 It also showed us now vividly
18:17 how interconnected is the world
18:19 and how much one thing that's happened
18:21 in one part of the world can actually have effect
18:23 in the other part of the world.
18:24 We are all living today
18:26 in an increasingly interconnected world.
18:29 And we also need to understand that what we do
18:32 is we don't only do for ourselves,
18:35 but we also do it for the rest of the world.
18:38 A very good example here, of course, is the climate change.
18:41 I mean, the efforts that are being done in one part,
18:45 of course, have an effect also elsewhere.
18:47 Or the non-efforts that are being done in one part
18:50 has the effect on the whole world.
18:52 And here, we need to come together
18:54 and we need to have better tools also on a global scale
18:58 to deal with the issues like the pandemics,
19:00 to deal with the issues like climate change,
19:02 just to mention a few.
19:03 And of course, you will also have--
19:07 - So how much are you injecting today for digital solutions?
19:09 - On the digital solutions--
19:10 - And you have very huge packages for climate change,
19:12 for security, in the style of all the parts of Africa,
19:15 for example.
19:16 - As I said, I mean, it's one of the key priorities
19:18 of the Global Gateway Strategy.
19:21 How much to inject is also dependent
19:24 on how much are there programs,
19:26 how much are there projects which have been created
19:30 and which would be eligible for having the financing.
19:33 - How many projects are under your control currently now?
19:35 - I don't deal with individual projects.
19:37 I mean, and of course, and it's not even be possible
19:40 because only in Cameroon, we have many projects
19:44 which are there and which actually benefit
19:46 from the umbrella funds where the financing can help
19:51 to establish from a startup to perhaps a company
19:57 which is on the coming to the cruising speed.
20:00 And this happens in every country
20:02 with whom we are cooperating on a global gateway level.
20:05 So in a way, this is also part of this bigger pot.
20:08 The Global Gateway in general has leveraging
20:12 more together like 300 billion euros
20:16 for the period of 2021 to 2027.
20:20 Out of this 300 billion, indicatively half,
20:25 150 billion will be for Africa.
20:29 And then of course, you go further to the next layers
20:34 of the granularity with the project in energy,
20:37 infrastructure, digital, good projects, find ways,
20:41 how also the EU and its member states
20:45 and its financial institutions can support.
20:48 - Now let's talk Cameroon in reality.
20:53 The European Union remains the country's largest
20:57 commercial partner at a level of trade volume.
21:00 - The growth. - Yeah.
21:02 I wonder how you see from a European perspective,
21:05 the economic partnership agreement signed years ago,
21:09 which should be going through a review process now.
21:12 Are you satisfied with that initiative?
21:14 - First and foremost, I would say we are satisfied with this.
21:18 I think the economic partnership agreement
21:19 was a very, very important framework
21:23 for further supporting the trade
21:27 between the European Union and Cameroon.
21:29 As you know, for the Cameroonian exports,
21:32 99% of the products are without any tariffs.
21:35 And this is also no surprise
21:37 that the EU is the most important export partner for Cameroon.
21:42 But, obviously, there are also issues in relation to that.
21:48 And when I talk to the ministers here
21:50 and also to the businesses, they also say,
21:52 well, we have no tariffs,
21:53 but there are also non-tariff barriers.
21:54 You need to have some certificates,
21:56 you need to comply with certain requirements.
22:00 And they are sometimes not easy to be adhered to.
22:05 So for that, we engage with Cameroon
22:10 to help to fulfill also the requirements
22:14 which comes to the non-tariff barrier
22:18 so that we can actually realize the full potential
22:20 of the economic partnership agreement.
22:22 And yes, we also have some issues
22:24 that we have raised on the table
22:28 because good friends who have a very sincere relationship
22:33 as the EU and Cameroon do,
22:35 also need to talk about difficult issues.
22:39 And--
22:40 - And which are those difficult issues?
22:42 - On the economic partnership agreement,
22:44 we have a discussion with the Cameroonian government
22:47 concerning some of the excise tariffs
22:49 that have been introduced
22:52 and where we believe might not be entirely
22:56 in the spirit of this economic partnership agreement.
22:59 This is just one of the examples.
23:01 But of course, I mean, the issues that we talk about,
23:06 we have also in relation to the illegal migration,
23:10 for example, where we can,
23:13 we see that we can actually do more.
23:16 The Cameroonian government can also do more.
23:18 But what we say is, yes, this is just some of the examples
23:23 where we have a issue to discuss,
23:26 but we are here also to partner with you
23:29 and to help you also to be ready
23:30 to address these issues.
23:32 And I can see that the political will is there,
23:34 and I have no doubt that we will be able
23:37 to resolve any of those issues.
23:39 - You just spoke of political will
23:40 because most Cameroonians know
23:42 the European Union activities in Cameroon
23:45 in the areas of human rights, good governance,
23:48 the promotion of the rule of law, humanitarian assistance,
23:52 especially for refugees,
23:54 a situation in the Northwest, Southwest, far North region.
23:57 But let me talk about issues
23:59 that affect the ordinary life of a Cameroonian for decades.
24:04 Issues like energy, issues like water,
24:08 issues like power, issues like road infrastructure.
24:13 - I would first also add,
24:15 when you very correctly listed many of those important
24:20 and key principles that is in the center of our cooperation,
24:25 I really want to add also the stability and security,
24:29 because this is also essential,
24:31 not only for the Cameroonian society,
24:33 but it's also essential in the wider regional scale.
24:37 But when it comes to these specific areas,
24:41 which we already have talked about,
24:43 I mean, Nautical is just one example,
24:45 and it is a major construction.
24:48 I was there today, I mean, I was very impressed,
24:51 and I hope that it can be linked up to the grid very soon
24:56 so that additional volume of 450 megawatts
25:01 will be injected in the grid.
25:02 But again, this is not only the solution,
25:04 because the grid, when you look at the grid,
25:06 when you look at the transmission,
25:07 you also realize that there you need upgrading.
25:10 We want to work together on these topics as well.
25:12 - I watched the president of the African Union Commission
25:17 in the last Italy Africa Summit,
25:22 and the voice that probably in the future
25:24 they would not like to see Franco Africa Summit,
25:28 Italy Africa Summit, Greek Africa Summit,
25:31 because there is a better platform
25:32 where they can meet EU Africa Summit.
25:34 Do you think that those bilateral countries
25:36 that hold meetings with Africa
25:40 weaken the position of the European Union
25:42 in the bargaining position?
25:44 - Well, you see, in my role also,
25:47 I mean, I focus on how we can enhance
25:52 and deepen our cooperation on the level of EU and Africa,
25:57 EU and African Union.
25:59 And of course, our 27 member states,
26:01 they are responsible for their own policies.
26:05 What is most important is that equally,
26:08 when they have their bilateral meetings,
26:10 and this is perfectly natural,
26:12 because many of those countries
26:13 have longstanding relationships,
26:15 and they want to maintain them also on their national sphere,
26:19 that they also all come together
26:21 under the same European flag,
26:24 and 27 flags which are like we have here,
26:27 and contribute to the Global Gateway Strategy,
26:31 contribute to the Team Europe approach,
26:34 and making a reality on the ground.
26:37 And I think this is what counts.
26:39 If the countries have a strong partnership,
26:43 it only adds value to the partnership
26:46 between the EU and Africa.
26:48 Last question, let's end with a human capacity
26:51 development topic, and that takes me
26:55 to the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship,
26:58 which of course is the educational arm
27:02 of the European Union,
27:03 because basically our European Union member countries
27:06 who provide the resources for that.
27:09 When you look at Erasmus Mundus and Cameroonians
27:13 who have graduated from that program,
27:15 and I know there are many of them,
27:16 I was supposed to be one,
27:18 but I stepped down at the last minute.
27:20 Do you think that you have sufficiently provided Cameroon
27:25 at your own level with necessary human resources
27:29 for the development of their country
27:31 in the various domains where they are trained?
27:34 If your question is whether we could do more,
27:39 then obviously the answer is we can always do more,
27:42 and we can always do better.
27:43 But I think that what we need to look at
27:45 is also what has been achieved,
27:46 and I think this is what counts.
27:49 I mean, the financial resources are scarce.
27:52 We have a lot of important partners,
27:54 even though Cameroon is a very important partner,
27:56 but also other partners we need to keep in mind,
27:58 and we need to make sure that there are opportunities
28:01 in many other African countries as well.
28:03 So we do what we can.
28:05 We maximize and leverage as much as we can
28:08 with the resources we have,
28:09 but you can never do enough when it comes to developing
28:16 or creating possibilities under the umbrella
28:19 like Erasmus Mundus, because young people,
28:22 education, exchange, I mean,
28:25 just the sky should be the limit.
28:27 - All-class advisor and director general
28:31 of international partnerships at the standard services
28:34 of the European Union, Estonian-born Hendrik Hululei.
28:39 Thank you very much indeed for being guest on Global Watch.
28:42 - Thank you.
28:43 It was really very, very privileged to have this opportunity.
28:46 I wish you luck.
28:47 I wish luck to Cameroon and its people.
28:49 - And I wish you a safe trip back to your office.
28:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]