Strengthening a partnership based on shared values. This was the message of the 7th Summit between the European Union and the African Union, which concluded on Tuesday in Luanda, the capital of Angola. Participants particularly emphasised the need to achieve peace on all continents through multilateralism.
“There is no alternative to the multilateral and rules-based international order because the alternative is simply chaos. And we need to avoid chaos; we need to uphold the international order in Ukraine, in the DRC, in Gaza, in Sudan and elsewhere”, António Costa, President of the European Council said.
For his part, João Goncalves Lourenço, President of Angola and Chairperson of the African Union stressed structural reforms were needed to make international institutions more inclusive and representative.
Infrastructure, free trade, green energy and migration
The two partners also welcomed the progress made in implementing the Global Gateway. This €150 billion programme to support African countries is intended to strengthen growth and accelerate climate and digital transitions.
The EU is for instance investing in the Lobito Corridor, a 1 300 km rail and infrastructure project stretching from Angola to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia.
Participants agreed on the need to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and called for improvement in the reform of the international debt infrastructure to reduce the burden of debt for African countries.
Regarding energy, participants committed to pursue their cooperation in the energy sector through the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative with the aim to provide at least 100 million people in Africa with access to clean energy by 2030.
They also committed to strengthen cooperation to prevent irregular migration while enhancing legal pathways for migration and mobility, especially for students and academics.
The 8th Summit between the European Union and the African Union will take place in Brussels.