ABOUT US
The European Union and Guinea
The European Union and the Republic of Guinea maintain relations in the political, economic, trade, and cooperation spheres, as well as in the defence of human rights and democracy. Governed until 2023 by the Cotonou Agreement, these relations now have a legal basis in the new Samoa Agreement signed in November 2023 with the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OEACPS, formerly the ACP Group of States), of which Guinea is a signatory.
Pe această pagină
Political relations
The EU and Guinea engage in regular dialogue
The EU remains committed to working with Guinea to promote a stable and democratic political environment that contributes to regional peace and security. It follows the country's political development with interest and constantly reiterates that the consolidation of democracy, the rule of law, good governance and human rights are essential elements in the creation of a favourable framework for private investment and sustainable economic development in Guinea. In addition, there are regular exchanges on foreign policy - including the situation in the sub-region - and other subjects of global importance, such as global warming.
Economic and trade relations
The EU is contributing to the growth of the Guinean economy and the development of its private sector through a number of projects, for example the economic empowerment of women (Guinée Créative, etc.), the revival of the pineapple cultivation or vocational training.
The EU is one of Guinea's most important trading partners. In 2022, around 28% of Guinea's imports come from the EU, representing some EUR 1.6 billion. These imports include machinery, electrical equipment, vehicles and processed food products, mainly from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France. Guinean exports to the EU represent around 5% of Guinea's total exports, or approximately EUR 571 million. The main products exported to the EU include bauxite, gold, and diamonds.
Guinea is a signatory to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and the ECOWAS countries, and Mauritania. This agreement aims to promote trade and regional integration by opening EU markets to West African products and gradually reducing trade barriers between the two regions.
Although the Economic Partnership Agreement is not yet operational, Guinea is covered by the Everything But Arms (EBA) regime, which is granted to the least developed countries. This allows it to export virtually all its products to the EU market without tariffs or volume restrictions, giving it a significant competitive advantage.
Dialogue with civil society
Development policies and programmes are generally more effective when the main actors maintain close contact with the civil society; local populations then feel involved in national development policy. The experience of recent years has shown the fragility, internal divisions and politicisation of civil society organisations; this fragmentation prevents them monitoring public policies efficiently.
The EU therefore aims to strengthen the role of civil society and encourages local non-state actors (NGOs, trade unions, political foundations, private companies, universities and the media) to play a more active social role.
This approach is reflected in the renewed Roadmap for relations between the EU and Guinean civil society for the period 2021-2024. It includes capacity-building for Guinean CSOs, support for their internal cooperation and coordination, and for their dialogue with national and local authorities.
As part of the Mechanism to support civil society in the transition, the Structured Dialogue Framework (CDS) has brought together 20 civil society organisations and federations to discuss 18 issues relating to democracy, the promotion of human rights, the electoral process, disability, social inclusion, and gender equality.
The overall objective is to give new impetus to the synergy of action of civil society organisations, by creating a space for exchange and concrete proposals, thus encouraging their participation in the transition underway and in Guinea development in an inclusive and peaceful climate.
The European Union is also funding a civil society support programme called "Société Civile Dynamique et Performante" (SOCIDYP). This initiative provides support for Guinean civil society organisations in implementing their projects.
Humanitarian aid
The European Union is the world's largest donor of humanitarian aid, and a quarter of the world's institutional humanitarian aid is managed by the European Commission, with a budget of over 800 million euros each year. This aid is made available directly to victims, regardless of their sex, gender, ethnic group, religion, nationality or political affiliation, via implementation partners. These include around 160 European NGOs, United Nations humanitarian agencies, and the Red Cross.
Within the Commission, operations are organised by the Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO). Guinea is covered by the Regional Office for West Africa, whose mandate is to provide services and expertise to improve the quality of the Commission's humanitarian response in the region. This includes five main competencies
- Rapid response capacity.
- Operations support.
- Support for the formulation of humanitarian policies and strategies.
- Communication.
- Finance and administration.