Brussels, 31/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 31 May in Brussels, the African Union (AU) Commission and the European Commission begun their fifth annual college-to-college session dedicated to democracy and growth, jointly chaired by Jean Ping and José Manuel Barroso (see EUROPE 10389). At a time of profound democratic change in Africa (especially the north of Africa) and the efforts being made by Europe and Africa to emerge from the global economic and financial crisis, both parties plan to take advantage of the partnership that links them to enhance political and economic governance and focus on inclusive and sustainable development of Africa as a whole. “The encouraging historical changes on the African continent present tremendous opportunities to enhance the relations between our continents. Our two Commissions will continue to serve as the engines of the ambitious joint EU-Africa partnership. Together, we can achieve real progress for the people of Europe and Africa, by tackling global issues, by creating more opportunities for trade, investment and inclusive development, and by addressing the people's aspirations for democratic reforms and social justice”, Barroso states prior to the opening of the session, aimed at strengthening the political and technical cooperation between the two institutions, give fresh impetus to implementation of the Africa-EU common strategy, and formulate proposals for the future policy programme. On Tuesday, both sides held thematic meetings on political affairs, regional integration, trade and infrastructure, social affairs, climate change and the environment, economic governance and raw materials. José Manuel Barroso and Jean Ping were also to hold a bilateral meeting. On Wednesday 1st June, specialised sessions will continue on the other EU-Africa thematic partnerships such as administrative cooperation, agriculture, food security and food safety, sciences, ICT and space. The plenary sitting of the two institutions on consolidation of growth and democracy will be the grand finale of the work. (A.N./transl.jl)