Main results of the EU Foreign Affairs and Trade Council, 30 May 2024

EU-Africa trade and investment relations

The Council discussed the state of trade and investment relations between the EU and Africa and how to deepen our relations in order to build a mutually beneficial partnership at the multilateral, continental, regional and bilateral levels.

At the beginning of our presidency we said that one of our priorities would be to strengthen the relations with Africa. Now we are delivering on that pledge. We are happy to see the progress on the ‘Global Gateway’ strategy, the European Peace Facility and the implementation of the Samoa Agreement. Today we also welcomed the imminent entry into force of the Economic Partnership Agreement with Kenya.

^{Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade}

The EU is Africa’s largest trading partner, largest investor and largest donor of official development assistance (ODA). More than 90% of exports from African countries enter the EU duty free as they are covered by the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), the economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with sub-Saharan Africa, or the free trade agreements (FTAs) with certain North African countries.

At the sixth European Union-African Union summit in February 2022, both sides agreed to boost regional and continental economic integration, in particular through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

EU-Africa relations (background information)

Samoa agreement (background information)

Global Gateway (background information)

Follow-up to the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13)

During a working lunch, ministers exchanged views on the follow-up to the MC13 which took place from 26 February to 2 March 2024 in Abu Dhabi.

Ministers regretted that, despite intensive efforts deployed by the EU in the run-up to the MC13 and at the MC13 itself, the conference delivered less than had initially been hoped for. They re-confirmed the core role of the WTO in the multilateral rules-based system and underlined the need to continue the work on the most immediate post-MC13 challenges.

Against the backdrop of increasing global challenges, ensuring the continuity of the WTO work is no longer sufficient. A broader WTO reform is needed. In the absence of a clear mandate from the MC13, one of the main challenges now is how to establish a reform agenda.

The WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13)

Any other business

Under any other business, presidency informed ministers about the decision, taken by their Foreign Affairs counterparts on 27 May 2024, to work on a meeting of EU-Israel Association Council.

Conclusions on export controls

The Council approved conclusions addressing the four ‘Proposed Responses’ put forward by the European Commission in its White Paper on export controls of 24 January 2024, proposing short and medium-term actions to improve the coordination of export controls on dual use items in the EU.

In the conclusions, the Council calls for the full implementation of the Dual Use Regulation (EU) 2021/821, including further analysis on how the current framework could allow the temporary introduction of certain new items on the European dual use list, and acknowledges the importance of coordination among member states, urging the Commission to facilitate this coordination in conformity with the regulation.

Council Conclusions on the White Paper on Export Controls

The Council also adopted without discussion the items on the list of non-legislative A items.

Preparatory documents