EU and Africa

This Monday and Tuesday (December 29-30) there is a summit being held in Tripoli, Libyan with an underlying focus on free trade agreements.  In short, the European Union wants its former colonies in Africa's five regional groups to "open their doors to European goods and services in return for duty-free access to European consumer and commodities markets" but so far none of Africa's regions have complied (Brussels).  African leaders are very fearful of these advances being made by the European Union, and they should be.  Once an Economic Partnership Agreement has been made, the European Union will undoubtedly "swamp [Africa's] states with European goods and services" (Brussels).  This in turn will essentially decimate any of Africa's growing local history.  Additionally, according to the article it appears as though the European Union wants to take over Africa.  For a continent that was once under European colonial 'dictatorships' these requests may seem daunting.  And African leaders have expressed that to the European Union.  If these agreement talks continue to fail, leaders claim that their countries may have to stop the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations.  I think that if Europe wants to gain any type of connections with Africa, their best bet is to tone down their overly ambitious demands.  If they do not, they are going to lose any security Africa may have left in the European Union.