Brussels, 16 February 2022
Ahead of the summit, EU heads of state or government will take part in a one-hour informal meeting of the members of the European Council at 12:30 on the state of play of latest developments related to Russia and Ukraine.
The summit will present a unique opportunity to lay the foundations for a renewed and deeper AU-EU partnership with the highest political involvement and based on trust and a clear understanding of mutual interests. Leaders are expected to discuss how both continents can build greater prosperity. The aim is to launch an ambitious Africa-Europe Investment Package, taking into account global challenges such as climate change and the current health crisis. They should also be talking about tools and solutions to promote stability and security through a renewed peace and security architecture.
A series of thematic roundtables will also be organised. The following topics will be debated:
- growth financing
- health systems and vaccine production
- agriculture and sustainable development
- education, culture and vocational training, migration and mobility
- private sector support and economic integration
- peace, security and governance
- climate change and energy transition, digital and transport [connectivity and infrastructure]
EU and AU heads of state or government will be participating in the roundtables, together with a selected group of external guests who are experts in their respective fields.
A joint declaration on a joint vision for 2030 is expected to be adopted by the participants.
6th European Union – African Union summit Brussels, 17-18 February 2022
The leaders of the EU and the African Union (AU), as well as their respective member states, will meet for the European Union – African Union summit in Brussels. This will be the sixth EU-AU summit, five years after the last one was held in 2017 in Abidjan, and eight years after the last summit in Brussels in 2014.
The summit will be hosted by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, who will represent the EU together with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the rotating presidency, Emmanuel Macron. The EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, will also be present.
Ahead of the summit on Thursday, EU27 leaders will gather for an informal meeting of the members of the European Council to discuss the state of play of the latest developments related to Russia/Ukraine.
The summit motto is “Africa and Europe: A joint vision for 2030”. The meeting will have the following objectives:
- to build a new partnership between Africa and Europe, based on the unique relationship between our two continents in all sectors;
- to cement the principles for the future partnership between Africa and Europe: mutual respect, respect of African sovereignty, solidarity, security, sustainability, transparency and multilateralism;
- to expedite recovery beyond the pandemic to promote prosperity and sustainable growth in Africa and Europe through transformative projects and by harnessing the potential of our partnership, including in the context of the green and digital transitions;
- to promote an ambitious large-scale investment package in Africa
Format of the meeting
To ensure concrete deliverables, instead of a traditional plenary format, EU and AU heads of state or government will be participating in seven thematic roundtables, together with a selected group of external guests who are experts in their respective fields.
Roundtables session 1:
- financing for sustainable and inclusive growth
- climate change and energy transition, digital and transport [connectivity and infrastructure]
- peace, security and governanceprivate sector support and economic integration Roundtables session 2:
- education, culture and vocational training, migration and mobility
- agriculture and sustainable development
- health systems and vaccine production
Each roundtable will be co-chaired/moderated by one or two AU member states and one or two EU member states. Co-chairs/moderators will play an important role in preparing, leading and animating the discussions and will be responsible for presenting the key takeaways from the roundtable discussions to the other leaders during the plenaries. In addition, one or two experts will be invited to take part in each of the roundtables and introduce the topic.
At the end of the summit, a joint declaration on a joint vision for 2030 is expected to be adopted by leaders.
Indicative agenda Thursday, 17 February
12.30 Informal meeting of the members of the European Council 13:00 Arrivals ahead EU-AU summit
14.15 Official welcome
14.45 Opening ceremony
15.45 Family photo
16.00 Thematic roundtables – session 1
19.30 Dinner for heads of state or government (external venue)
Friday, 18 February
8.30 Arrivals
9.15 Side event: press statements on mRNA technology transfer
10.00 Thematic roundtables – session 2
12.00 Closing ceremony TTBC Press conference
TBC National press conferences or statements TTBC Departures
EU-Africa relations
The summit comes at a difficult time. Current challenges include COVID-19, migration and the economic situation in a number of African countries.
The EU is by far the first partner of Africa in terms of investment and security. The renewed partnership should be built on:
- prosperity – in both Africa and in Europe, taking into account the global challenges: climate change, the digital revolution, energy, infrastructure and health
- stability – developing and using the tools needed to support African partners’ efforts to improve security and the fight against terrorism
EU-Africa relations (background information)
Council adopts conclusions on Africa (press release, 30 June 2020) Africa and the EU (EEAS)
Africa-EU Partnership (European Commission, DG International Partnerships) African Union website
Financing for sustainable and inclusive growth
The goal is to build well-phased and progressive support to accelerate sustainable growth and decent jobs in Africa.
Short-term goals: to support a rapid, green, inclusive and sustainable recovery by mobilising financing instruments and tackling debt vulnerabilities.
Mid-term goals: to support Africa’s industrialisation and a vibrant private sector, deepen cooperation between African and non-African private companies (value chain integration), including mobilising businesses in the EU to invest alongside African SMEs and accelerate reforms.
Climate change and energy transition, digital and transport [connectivity and infrastructure]
Here leaders will focus on expediting Africa’s connectivity through human-centric digitalisation and sustainable energy, boosting clean, climate-resilient and sustainable investments for a just energy transition and promoting priority infrastructure projects.
Peace, security and governance
Ensuring long-lasting peace and security in Africa is a shared interest. That is why the EU will increase its support to African peace operations. The EU aims at strengthening practical cooperation, strategic AU-EU engagement and joint decision-making, with key areas of cooperation being: security, including maritime security, cybersecurity and fighting terrorism. Peace is not just the absence of war: partners are also working on conflict prevention, enhancing the rule of law, promoting human rights and preventing gender-based violence.
Private sector support and economic integration
Africa and Europe work together to better connect countries, people, services and businesses. For the private sector, helping find the right financing instruments is crucial, especially for young entrepreneurs. Deepening Africa’s economic integration can boost sustainable industrialisation and job creation, including through the development of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Education, culture and vocational training, migration and mobility
Leaders will focus on equitable, inclusive and high-quality education and vocational training. On migration, they will discuss safe and regular migration as an opportunity. Protecting lives and fighting against smuggling and human trafficking will also be a topic of this roundtable.
Agriculture and sustainable development
The focus will be on activating Africa’s farming potential: containing food insecurity and accelerating the transformation of sustainable and nutritious African food systems. In the context of the green transition and fighting against desertification, the aim is to strengthen the response to climate change and promote the sustainable management of resources.
Health systems and vaccine production
Speeding up the global vaccination effort is key (nobody is safe until everyone is safe), so Europe has led global solidarity efforts to address the pandemic. Team Europe has exported more than half of its production since the crisis began; it supported the creation of ACT-A which has delivered more than one billion doses (including 350 million vaccines for Africa) and European countries have shared doses destined for their own citizens, including 125 million to African countries where it is the principal donor. The EU reaffirms its commitment to also provide 700 million vaccine doses by mid-2022 to developing countries, of which at least 450 million will benefit Africa.
Investment package
At the end of the summit, a joint declaration on a joint vision for 2030 is expected to be adopted by the participants. It will announce a EUR 150 billion Africa-Europe Investment Package that will support our common ambition for 2030.
This Global Gateway Investment Package will aim to boost public and private investment building on existing initiatives and partnerships.
It will boost large-scale sustainable investments, supported by Team Europe Initiatives, in key joint priority areas focusing on:
- green transition;
- digital transition that supports trusted connectivity;
- sustainable growth and decent job creation;
- human development.
The Global Gateway Africa – Europe Investment Package (European Commission)
Previous summit
The fifth African Union – European Union (AU-EU) summit was held on 29-30 November 2017 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
- EU and African leaders adopted a joint declaration outlining common priorities for the EU- Africa partnership in four strategic areas:
- economic opportunities for youth
- peace and security
- mobility and migration
- cooperation on governance