Delayed since the end of 2020 by the Covid-19 pandemic, the sixth summit between the European Union and the African Union was finally able to begin on Thursday 17 February in Brussels, with the physical participation of nearly 70 European and African heads of state or government mobilised for sustainable economic recovery, the green and digital transition, and common values.
At a time when Africa is highly courted, the common will to renew and deepen the Africa-Europe strategic partnership to ensure the prosperity and security of both continents was evident at the opening ceremony, which was immediately followed by the first interactive round tables (see EUROPE 12892/17).
“We are here to design together a common space of prosperity, stability and security. And we want to work out together the founding principles of this renewed pact: mutual respect and shared interests, on an equal footing”, said the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
A draft joint declaration by the EU and AU, dated 17 February and seen by EUROPE, sets out a common vision for the twin institutions for 2030 “towards solidarity, security, peace and sustainable and sustained economic development and prosperity for our citizens and future generations, bringing together our peoples, regions and organisations”.
On behalf of the African Union, of which he holds the rotating presidency, the Senegalese president, Macky Sall, stressed that the people aspire to a better life in a changing world and want “mutually beneficial partnerships, co-constructed, without civilizational injunction, without exclusivity”.
In particular, he called for the voluntary reallocation of SDR 100 billion, given the enormous financing needs of African economies, estimated at €170 billion per year for infrastructure alone.
The draft EU/AU joint statement only provides that African countries will benefit from a significant share of the rich countries’ reallocation of SDRs (EUROPE 12891/10).
While stressing the importance Africa attaches to the Paris Agreement on Climate and the protection of biodiversity, Mr Sall emphasised that “the priority for us is universal access to electricity and the industrialisation of the continent”, and called for the maintenance of the gas industry for a just transition that takes account of needs.
The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, stressed that the diversity of partnerships that Africa is developing deserves respect and called for a “real plan to rebuild” African economies.
Ursula von der Leyen was pleased to confirm a €150 billion investment package to catalyse investment in infrastructure and the transition to sustainable energy, stressing Africa’s huge green hydrogen potential.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for “an alliance to help Africa succeed”, warning that “if it fails, Europe will be the first to suffer”.
Aware of the huge investment needs, estimated by the World Bank at between €220 and €300 billion for the 2021-2025 period, he stressed the importance of supporting the private sector to help reduce the risk in African economies.
Patents and fossil fuels: hot buttons. In the evening, negotiations continued on the draft joint declaration in order to reconcile views on three issues: TRIPS and the persistent African demand for the lifting of patents on vaccines, the elimination of fossil fuels, which is not a priority for Africans, and trade.
Reproductive and sexual rights, which Africans, like Poland, see as encouraging abortion, may not be included in the text.
Mrs von der Leyen stressed the importance of developing the production of RNA-messenger vaccines on the African continent, for which €1 billion were announced.
While thanking Europe “for its solidarity in donating vaccines”, Macky Sall recalled that South Africa, Algeria, Egypt and Morocco are involved in production and that other countries are preparing for it.
Upon his arrival at the summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stressed the need to address the patenting of Covid-19 vaccines: “Yes, the EU has given us vaccines, but now we have to look at lifting the intellectual property rights on them so that we can produce our own vaccines. This is very important”, he said.
His country is behind the proposal, along with India, to the World Trade Organization to lift patents on Covid-19 vaccines.
Asked whether he was satisfied with the European proposal on this issue, he replied: “No, still not”.
In the draft declaration, the paragraph on patents on vaccines was not yet validated. The proposed text was as follows: “The African Union and the European Union are constructively committed to a WTO agreement on trade and health that includes commitments to greater transparency, restraint on export restrictions, trade facilitation measures, and intellectual property rights”.
On the sidelines of the summit, Emmanuel Macron met with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and reaffirmed France’s commitment to reallocate 20% of its special drawing rights to African economies.
See the draft declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/e7 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang and Léa Marchal)