Trade and investment contribute substantially to the economic development of states by creating jobs and increasing the financial means of states to promote the welfare of the population though establishing health care systems, education facilities, or infrastructure - thus preventing health crises, poverty or food crises. While there are numerous Euro-African trade and investment agreements to promote economic development in Africa (and the EU), these agreements may also adversely affect the welfare of societies and states.

Increased imports may endanger national industries and cause job-losses, which may subsequently diminish state funds for health care, education, and infrastructure, and as a final consequence lead to poverty and migration. Foreign investors often put pressure on governments to lower economic and social standards, employ workers (including children) at conditions not meeting basic labor standards or ignore the impact of their activities on the environment. These adverse effects of trade and investment agreements may make it more difficult for African states to find solutions to address crises or the polycrisis.

In the BIP, students will analyze how the legal framework governing trade and investment relations between the EU and Africa addresses economic development and its impacts on non-economic concerns and gain hands-on experience about negotiating agreements to tackle the polycrisis in the framework of EU-African Trade and Investment Agreements.

The BIP, taking place in the summer term 2025, will be divided as follows:

• first, seven virtual lessons covering issues like fundamental issues of trade and investment policy (evolution, EU and international legal framework, content, institutional setting, monitoring and dispute settlement mechanisms) and negotiation strategy.
• then the group will be divided to form negotiation teams to simulate negotiations on the sustainability chapter of a fictitious Euro-African trade and investment agreement.
• after two rounds of hybrid model negotiations, the physical part will take place between 23-27 June 2025, at the Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. The physical component will be divided into ongoing negotiation rounds and visits to Brussels-based trade institutions from the EU and the African Union.

The physical mobility part will be running from 12 to 16 May 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. The schedule is:

12 May 2025:

• forenoon: Introduction to negotiations
• afternoon: Time to prepare negotiations

13 May 2025:

• forenoon: First physical negotiation round
• afternoon: Workshop: Aspects of singular crises/ the polycrisis to be considered in EATIAs: climate, environmental degradation, women, indigenous peoples

14 May 2025:

• forenoon: Second physical negotiation round
• afternoon: “Trade negotiations in practice_1” - Commission of the European Union, DG Trade/ Legal Service

15 May 2025:

• forenoon: Third physical negotiation round
• afternoon: “Trade negotiations in practice_2” - AU Representation in Brussels

16 May 2025:

• forenoon: First physical negotiation round
• afternoon: Debrief on negotiations

The virtual component will take place between 6 March - 11 May 2025. Divided in nine lessons, the virtual section provides the theoretical knowledge and skills necessary to negotiate an Euro-African trade and investment agreement and will prepare the model-negotiations on polycrisis-relevant sections of a Euro-African trade and investment agreement.

The distribution of content over the individual course dates can be found in the attachment.