The end of the East-West conflict, the establishment of the Single European Market and the ongoing economic decline of many African countries have considerably changed the framework for European-African relations. The European Community would be able to assert a stronger influence on African governments today if the major member states shared common policy goals and coordinated their policies.

However, European economic and strategic interest in Africa is rapidly diminishing, exemplified by the lowering of Europe's diplomatic presence in Africa and the uncertain future of institutional links such as the CFA Franc Zone. Rising "Afropessimism" could also be seen as an opportunity freeing European-African relations from the pursuit of narrow self-interest and outdated cultural ties and paving the way for the harmonization and coordination of African policies within Europe.

The essays in this book focus on the interests of individual European states (France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal) in maintaining close relations with Africa and in harmonizing their approaches within the European Union as a whole.