European Union development funds could go toward purchasing Chinese-made buses for Senegal, as long as the deal benefits Senegalese workers, according to prominent Socialist MEP Udo Bullmann.
A European tender worth over €300 million for the supply of buses and related infrastructure in Dakar has sparked controversy. The contract appears poised to be awarded to a Chinese state-linked company previously found guilty of violating EU foreign subsidy rules.
While some EU officials and lawmakers have condemned the potential outcome, one even calling it “madness,” Bullmann stated he would support granting European funds to a Chinese state-linked firm provided local labour benefits.
“The criterion is skilled African labour and creation of African added value,” Bullmann said Monday in Brussels.
In June, during the Senegalese government’s visit to China, both countries agreed on building a bus assembly plant in Senegal. As long as the winning bidder hires local personnel, the MEP said he is not concerned about the Chinese offer.
“I don’t care,” he stated, adding he is not familiar with the project’s details. “I welcome investors who invest in Africa and train African labour to higher standards,” he added. “That makes all the difference.”
Bullmann, who chairs the European Parliament’s delegation to South Africa, is coordinating this week the African Days organised by Socialists in Brussels, bringing together African policymakers and decision-makers. Europe is the best alternative for Africa, he said.
“If you want exploitation, you turn to the Chinese. If you want political repression, you turn to the Americans. If you want friendship, you turn to the Europeans,” Bullmann said.
EU development chief Jozef Síkela stated in May that “measures to strengthen European preference” would be incorporated into future EU aid projects—a position Bullmann rejects.
“We need a rule that gives preference to local production. That is what matters most,” Bullmann said, adding that EU-backed tenders should favour African products.
Barry Andrews, chair of the European Parliament’s development committee, also said Senegalese authorities should choose the offer that best suits them. “Essentially, you are asking Senegalese to pay twice as much,” Andrews noted, referring to CRRC’s bid being less than half that of Scania, the only European competitor in the tender.