The EU’s partnership with Africa is a key priority for the Commission. As Europe’s closest neighbour, Africa not only shares a rich history with EU countries, but also common values and interests. Through the Africa-EU partnership, we engage in political and policy dialogues, and define our cooperative relationship with Africa.
Today’s realities make this relationship all the more important. The ongoing COVID pandemic and the growing urgency of the climate crisis show how interdependent our two continents are, and why it is so important that both seize shared opportunities and tackle common challenges.
The Africa-EU Partnership is a multi-actor partnership guided by the EU and African Union (AU) Member States along with several non-state and civil society organisations, youth bodies, economic and social actors, and the private sector. The renewed partnership is grounded in an ongoing dialogue with the EU’s African partners. At the 6th EU-AU Summit in Brussels in February 2022, the partners adopted a “Joint Vision for 2030”.
The partnership strives to bring Africa and Europe closer together by strengthening economic cooperation and promoting sustainable development, with both continents co-existing in peace, security, democracy, prosperity, solidarity and human dignity. Against this backdrop, the two partners are determined to work together on a strategic, long-term footing to develop a shared vision for EU-Africa relations in a globalised world. The partnership focuses on actions at continental and regional level where the EU and Africa have a collective capacity to deliver.
"Africa and Europe are bound by geography and a common destiny. The EU-Africa partnership is of utmost importance to shape our future."
President Ursula von der Leyen (28 November 2022)
At the last Summit held in Brussels on 17 and 18 February 2022, a Joint Vision for 2030 was adopted, with four deliverables at its heart:
The Africa-EU Partnership was formally established in 2000 at the first Africa-EU Summit in Cairo. It is guided by the Joint Africa-EU strategy, adopted in 2007. To tackle the challenges of the times and set political priorities, the EU and African Union have been meeting over the years in different formats.
The summits of EU and AU heads of states and governments take place traditionally every three years, alternating between Africa and Europe. These summits provide the political guidance for further work.
The 6th EU-AU Summit was held in Brussels on 17-18 February 2022. EU and AU leaders agreed on a joint vision for a renewed partnership.
The AU-EU ministerial meetings take place on an ad-hoc basis to exchange views, take stock of the commitments and advance cooperation in certain fields.
The 2nd meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the AU and the EU took place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 25-26 October 2021. Ministers focused on the response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital and green transitions, peace, security and global governance, migration and mobility.
The Commissioners of both the European Commission and the African Union Commission meet annually, alternating between the cities of Brussels and Addis Ababa. The participants monitor the progress achieved between summits and discuss how to improve the cooperation between the two institutions.
The 11 th meeting of the European Union and African Union Commissions took place on 28 November 2022 in Brussels. Both Commissions engaged on their strategic partnership and reviewed progress in the implementation of the joint commitments.
The European Parliament and Pan-African Parliament (PAP) meet regularly to evaluate the strong points and shortcomings of the existing partnership. The latest Inter-Parliamentary Meeting took place on 8-9 December 2022 in Brussels.
Non-state actors, such as civil society, local authorities, youth representatives and the private sector play an active role in the Africa-EU Partnership and its decision-making process. In preparation of the institutional meetings, various stakeholder groups meet on a regular basis to bring their views and recommendations to the table. In the margins of the 6 th EU-AU Summit, over 20,000 people from Europe, Africa and beyond participated in the first Africa-Europe Week and the 7th EU-Africa Business Forum (EABF). Hosted in a hybrid format in Brussels and virtually, the forum aimed to strengthen cross-continent people-to-people relations, through providing a space for youth, civil society (CSO), cultural actors and the private sector to discuss the aspects of the Africa-Europe partnerships that matter most to them.
Young people are key drivers for change and are advocating to have a more active role in global issues. Decision-making bodies on both continents are reflecting on this call, and on ways for moving towards meaningful engagement and empowerment of their young population. The Africa-Europe Week in February 2022, produced specific youth track outcomes outlining young people’s perspectives on the partnership. The AU-EU Youth Cooperation Hub lets young people further develop ideas into concrete pilot projects.
On the 8-9 July 2024, a cohort of 40 youth and civil society organisation representatives, from Africa and Europe, participated in the Youth in Action “Finance the Future” Forum on Africa-EU perspectives. The event was organised jointly by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships and the Africa-Europe Foundation (AEF). Hosted in Brussels (Belgium), the dialogue sought to strengthen the Africa-EU partnership through constructive interactions on young people’s views and objectives around the topic of sustainable finance. The declaration below brings together the recommendations that the event’s participants delivered on sustainable finance, with specific reference to geopolitics, debt and resource mobilisation.
