EU and Kenya on the cusp of finalizing trade partnership

​President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, right, and Kenyan President William Ruto meet at the EU Commission headquarters on March 29, 2023.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, right, and Kenyan President William Ruto meet at the EU Commission headquarters on March 29, 2023.
Hans Lucas/REUTERS

The European Union and Kenya signed a historic trade deal on Monday to grant Kenyan exports duty- and quota-free access to the bloc. Kenya will also gradually reduce tariffs on European imports over 25 years.

The deal, which must still be ratified by the parliaments of both parties, has been described by the European Commission as the “most ambitious trade deal ever signed” between the EU and a developing country. Kenyan President William Ruto said it would “put real money into the pockets of ordinary people,” and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called it a "win-win situation."

The EU is Kenya’s second-largest trading partner, accounting for 21% of the East African country’s total exports, primarily of agricultural products such as flowers, fruits, and vegetables. In 2022, total trade between the EU and Kenya reached €3.3 billion.

Jockeying for influence: The EU-Kenya trade deal comes at a time when the West has increasingly expressed concern about the growing influence of China and Russia across countries in Africa. China is already the largest trading partner of Kenya, a key economic hub of East Africa in a region in which many countries have long struggled with poverty and violence.

More from GZERO Media

France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference following a summit for the "coalition of the willing" at the Elysee Palace in Paris on March 27, 2025.

LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS

At the third summit of the so-called “coalition of the willing” for Ukraine on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a multinational “reassurance force” to deter Russian aggression once a ceasefire is in place – and to engage if attacked.

A group demonstrators chant slogans together as they hold posters during the protest. The ongoing protests were sparked by the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
Sopa Images via Reuters

Last week’s arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu sparked the largest anti-government rallies in a decade and resulted in widespread arrests throughout Turkey. Nearly 1,900 people have been detained since the protests erupted eight days ago.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the then-nominee for US ambassador to the UN, during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
Al Drago/Pool/Sipa USA

An internal GOP poll found a Republican candidate trailing in a special election for a conservative-leaning district in Florida, forcing US President Donald Trump to make a decision aimed at maintaining the Republican Party’s majority in the House.

South Sudan's Vice President Riek Machar, pictured here addressing the press in 2020.

REUTERS/Samir Bol

Alarm bells are ringing ever more loudly in South Sudan, as Vice President Riek Machar — chief rival to Prime Minister Salva Kiir — was arrested late Wednesday in an operation involving 20 armored vehicles at his compound in Juba. He was placed under house arrest, a move that is fueling fears that the country will soon descend into civil war.

Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, pictured here at the anniversary event of the departure of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 28, 2022.

REUTERS/Ali Khara

The Trump administration has dropped multimillion-dollar bounties on senior Afghan officials from the Haqqani network, a militant faction that carried out some of the deadliest attacks on American troops but has now positioned itself as a moderate wing within the Taliban government. But why?

The Canadian flag flies on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

REUTERS/Blair Gable

Canada’s foreign interference watchdog is warning that China, India, and Russia plan on meddling in the country’s federal election. The contest, which launched last weekend, has already been marked by a handful of stories about past covert foreign interventions and threats of new ones.

The BMW Foundation is dedicated to addressing concrete challenges that, when solved, create the greatest global impact. With the first challenge, “International Collaboration to Develop Energy Transition and Infrastructure Solutions,” the foundation aims to facilitate international collaboration that accelerates the net-zero transition. Access to reliable and affordable energy powers industries and businesses. Technology is one of the most important drivers for a successful transition, but it is international collaboration that will leapfrog societies across the globe. Find out how the BMW Foundation helps drive collaboration and solutions toward a clean and secure energy future here.