Some fifteen European leaders, over twenty African leaders and numerous diplomatic delegations are expected in Luanda (Angola) on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 November for the seventh European Union-African Union summit. Twenty-five years after the first meeting of its kind in Cairo (Egypt) in April 2000, the Luanda Summit will be an historic opportunity to rebuild trust between two partners whose strategic visions have evolved.
Africa is increasingly calling for a “climate-positive growth path” based on developing its resources and renewable potential, while the EU, faced with geopolitical and industrial tensions, is refocusing its priorities on competitiveness and energy security, particularly in terms of access to critical raw materials (see EUROPE 13752/25).
“We want to focus on the sustainable development of value chains and how to work with our African partners to support their rise of the value chains. This is not about extraction only”, said a senior EU official ahead of the summit.
The aim is to make it easier for European private investors to invest in infrastructure - particularly transport infrastructure - to help develop value chains, including through the creation of local jobs. Nearly €2 billion has already been mobilised across Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia to develop the Lobito corridor (see EUROPE 13750/8), and a new regional infrastructure investment package will be announced in Luanda.
The development of renewable energies is also expected to be at the heart of the discussions. Following a campaign led by the European Commission with the international advocacy organisation Global Citizen and with the strategic support of the International Energy Agency, some €15.5 billion in investments (including a pledge of €10 billion from Team Europe) have already been announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Johannesburg (South Africa) on Friday 21 November.
This financing will support a series of new clean energy projects covering eleven African countries - Madagascar, Malawi, Benin, Zambia, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Burundi, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt - notably in hydroelectricity, solar energy, electricity networks and energy efficiency.
In the digital field, “several billion euros” should be announced in Luanda for the creation of a “Europe-Africa digital innovation bridge” designed to strengthen innovation in sub-Saharan Africa and provide support in terms of policy advice and access to funding, according to a European source.
Closer cooperation is also expected in the fields of health, mobility and legal channels for migration.
The summit will also be an opportunity for the EU to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding with the members of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The aim is to increase exchanges of knowledge and deepen political dialogue, but also to strengthen the economic integration of the African continent. On this last point, the EU and its Member States are already involved in dozens of assistance programmes.
Finally, security issues will be given priority, in particular the war in Sudan (see EUROPE 13756/5) and in the east of the DRC (see EUROPE 13753/36) as well as the growing instability in the Sahel, where the EU intends to renew its presence (see EUROPE 13756/21).
The summit will be co-chaired by the Angolan President, João Lourenço, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, for whom the objective in Angola will be to pursue a “strong, balanced and forward-looking” partnership. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit and Léa Marchal)