The policy brief examines the evolution and course of EU-Africa partnerships in peace and security. It focuses on the support of the EU to the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) in the context of substantive policy developments, such as the institutional reforms within the AU, the renewed EU Strategy with Africa and the EU’s new financing instrument – the European Peace Facility (EPF). The implications of changes in policy and implementation mechanisms for the dynamics of EU-Africa cooperation in peace and security are analyzed and policy recommendations are provided on how to render bilateral cooperation on APSA more effective and legitimate within the changing nature of conflicts and institutional resource constraints.