On Wednesday 4 November, the ambassadors of the EU Member States prepared for the strategic meeting between the leaders of the European Union and the African Union scheduled for 9 December. On 2 November, the cabinet of the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, had highlighted the main topics that will be discussed at the meeting.
According to a document intended for the Member States, of which EUROPE has seen a copy, the cabinet, “in close collaboration with the European External Action Service and the Commission services”, believes that the agenda of the meeting should include “the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, debt relief, the recovery as an opportunity to improve reconstruction, stimulation for investment, economic integration and trade, cooperation on peace, security and governance, mobility and migration, multilateralism and culture”.
Using the European Council conclusions of 15 and 16 October (see EUROPE 12583/5) as a basis, Michel’s cabinet says that, with regard to Covid-19, in addition to access to medicines, equipment and vaccines and measures to strengthen health systems, “the EU’s solidarity with its African partners and its support for African efforts through its ‘Team Europe’ approach” should be highlighted.
The cabinet feels that both sides should also stress the importance of coordinated international debt relief efforts and increased access to international financing and “commend the EU’s support” for its efforts.
The cabinet would also like the two parties to agree “to work together on a comprehensive investment programme aimed at stimulating investment in sectors that have high job creation potential and that will contribute to economic transformation, such as the digital and knowledge economy, renewable energy, transport, agri-food systems, private sector development (MSMEs) and the climate and environment programme”. The cabinet also believes that leaders should express their support for economic integration at the regional and continental level and for promoting intercontinental economic integration.
The EU will also seek “a shared commitment” to strengthening cooperation on peace and security, “including through further alignment of our strategic approaches in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and the Lake Chad Basin, and by paying greater attention to strengthening governance, supporting democracy and promoting human rights and respect for international humanitarian law”.
The cabinet would also like to promote constructive engagement on all aspects of mobility and migration, including legal migration, the fight against illegal migration, readmission and the fight against smuggling networks.
Lastly, the cabinet feels that the EU and the AU should commit themselves to strengthening cooperation and alliances in global fora, including the United Nations. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)