The securitization of inter-regional energy cooperation between the EU and Southern Africa

Abstract

The European Union's (EU) green hydrogen policy has evolved significantly over recent years as a central component of its commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. It includes a strategic focus on external partnerships with third countries outside Europe to meet its ambitious import targets and promote global hydrogen production. In Africa, South Africa with its renewable energy potential and strategic position as regional (energy) powerhouse in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), is a key partner in the EU's ambitious plans. Norm- and value-based voices emphasize, this partnership is not only mutually beneficial but supports sustainable development in Africa. Against the background of a perceived polycrisis in the international system and growing energy security concerns in Europe, however, geopolitical notions in the context of strengthening EU energy security and facilitating resilient energy supply chains have become prominent. The article turns to European geopolitics and investigates the nature and perception of inter-regional energy cooperation between the EU and Southern Africa, with a focused analysis on (green) hydrogen. Building on theoretical concepts of (collective) securitization, the article conducts a qualitative content analysis of both European and Southern African newspaper articles to identify narratives and explain whether and how inter-regional (green) hydrogen energy cooperation between the EU and South Africa is subject of securitization. It claims that European actors (collectively) securitize EU-South Africa green hydrogen cooperation as essential for energy resilience after the Russian invasion of Ukraine while South African actors primarily frame it in developmental and economic terms, occasionally contesting European narratives as neo-colonial.