On Wednesday 21 May, the European Union and the African Union (AU) agreed to strengthen their cooperation. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, the Chairperson of the AU Executive Council, Teté António, and nearly 70 diplomatic delegations, including 50 European and African Ministers, gathered in Brussels to lay the foundations for a new ‘EU-AU’ Summit that will bring together the Heads of State or Government of the two continents in the second half of 2025, marking 25 years of partnership since the Cairo Summit in 2000.
In a joint political declaration adopted at the end of the meeting, the EU and the AU announced that they had identified three areas of cooperation to be deepened by taking advantage of the ‘Global Gateway Agenda’: global connectivity, sustainable development and investment in Africa. The Ministers also reiterated their commitment to a just and lasting peace in the various conflict zones in Europe and Africa, and pledged to tackle the root causes of these conflicts.
New mechanism for monitoring commitments. As envisaged by several EU Member States (see EUROPE 13618/5), the partners agreed on Wednesday on the need to set up a new mechanism to monitor the commitments made by the EU and the AU. “A meeting scheduled for June will have to define the details of this new mechanism”, a European diplomat told Agence Europe.
“The Ministers decided to strengthen the follow-up mechanism, by ensuring complementarity at Ministerial and technical level. Ministers agreed that the agenda and the programme of the 7th EU-AU Summit will include the review of the commitments made in the Brussels Declaration of 2022 (see EUROPE 12894/1)”, the joint statement reads.
Among the key commitments made on Wednesday were stronger support for the development of an African Continental Free Trade Area (‘AfCFTA’), accelerating the energy and climate transition, strengthening African health systems through the local production of vaccines, mobilising the ‘European Peace Facility’, reinforcing maritime security, and recognising the essential role of civil society in consolidating democracy and development.
Greater commitment to multilateralism. Addressing the press, Mrs Kallas recalled the complex international context in which the partnership between the EU and the AU operates, underlining the strength of their multilateral alliance. “Together, the two Unions represent around 40% of the votes in the United Nations”, she pointed out, underlining the reaffirmed joint commitment to the UN Charter.
The High Representative of the Union also highlighted several key priorities for the partnership: collaboration on raw materials, artificial intelligence, regional integration and mobility.
For his part, Mr António paid tribute to the 25 years of partnership, which he described as a “success story based particularly on geographical proximity”. He highlighted the “positive results” achieved in the areas of peace, security, development, trade, gender equality, and youth. He also welcomed the Global Gateway initiative, citing the Lobito corridor (see EUROPE 13558/5) as a concrete illustration of shared ambitions in terms of infrastructure and interconnection.
However, the Angolan Chairperson of the AU Executive Council insisted on the need to adapt the partnership to future challenges: persistent conflicts, climate change and food security. He spoke of the need for a “paradigm shift” in the exploitation of raw materials on the African continent to encourage local processing that creates jobs and added value.
Finally, while Africa remains the only continent not permanently represented on the United Nations Security Council, Mr António cited the African Union’s call, in the ‘Sirte Declaration’, for an in-depth reform of this central body of global governance. The aim of this reform would be to give Africa two permanent seats with the right of veto.
The EU and the AU “supporters of the law”, according to France. Chairing a round-table discussion on multilateralism, France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, warned against pitting Africa against Europe or drawing a divide between a ‘collective West’ and a ‘global South’. “What we want to remember today is quite the opposite: yes, we are witnessing a fragmentation of the world, but no, it is not defined along geographical lines. It is defined between the supporters of the law, of multilateralism, of which we are a part with the African Union, on the one hand, and, on the other, the supporters of brute force who want to call into question the institutions of multilateralism to which we are nevertheless very attached and which we want to continue to cultivate”, he declared at the start of the Ministerial meeting.
Fearing the growing influence of foreign powers, EU countries are calling for greater European involvement in Africa (see EUROPE 13621/6).
Strengthening parliamentary diplomacy. In mid-May, the European Parliament officially opened a permanent office in Addis Ababa, right next to the AU headquarters. Since 2022, a Parliament ‘antenna’ had been gradually set up in the Ethiopian capital by the adviser to the EU delegation to the AU, Paolo Meucci. With a permanent office, the EU institution intends to contribute to strengthening the links between Europe and the African continent in the current geopolitical context.
“This initiative represents a new stage in the consolidation of a partnership based on trust, stability and shared interests. I welcome the new African Union Commission, which sends out a very positive signal for strengthening relations between the EU and the AU”, Parliament Vice-President Younous Omarjee (The Left, French) told Agence Europe on Wednesday.
During a visit from 14 to 16 May, Mr Omarjee reaffirmed his support for strengthening the AU’s ‘Pan-African Parliament’ (PAP), convinced that the development of parliamentary democracy fosters regional integration.
“The EU was strengthened by strengthening the Parliament. The African Union could also strengthen its democratic base by reinforcing the Pan-African Parliament. We are ready to support the choices they make”, said the European Parliament Vice-President.
António Costa in Côte d’Ivoire. The President of the European Council, António Costa, will travel to Abidjan on Thursday 22 May to receive the UNESCO Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize. “This is not a reward, but a renewed call to action. In a world marked by instability, inequality and conflict, we need to build bridges - not walls - between peoples and nations. Europe and Africa have a shared responsibility to advance peace, protect human rights and uphold the principles of multilateralism”, said Mr Costa on Wednesday.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, the President of the European Council will meet the President of Côte d’Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, to discuss bilateral relations, regional stability and preparations for the next EU-African Union Summit, according to his office.
See the declaration adopted on Wednesday by the EU and the AU: https://aeur.eu/f/gyk (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)