Strengthen partnerships based on shared values. This was the message at the seventh summit of the European Union and African Union, which concluded on Tuesday in Angola’s capital Luanda. Participants particularly emphasized the need to achieve peace on all continents through multilateralism.
European Council President Antonio Costa said: “There is no alternative to a multilateral, rules-based international order, because that option is just chaos. And we need to avoid chaos. We need to protect the international order in Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere.”
Joao Gonçalves Lorenzo, President of Angola and President of the African Union, stressed the need for structural reforms to make international institutions more inclusive and representative.
infrastructure, free trade, green energy, immigration
Both partners also welcomed the progress made in the implementation of the Global Gateway. This €150 billion program to support African countries aims to strengthen growth and accelerate climate change and the digital transition.
For example, the EU is investing in the Lobito Corridor, a 1,300-kilometer rail and infrastructure project from Angola to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia.
Participants agreed on the need to accelerate implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and called for improved international debt infrastructure reforms to reduce the debt burden of African countries.
On energy, participants pledged to pursue cooperation in the energy sector through the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative, with the aim of providing access to clean energy to at least 100 million people in Africa by 2030.
The two leaders also pledged to strengthen cooperation to prevent irregular migration, while strengthening legal means of migration and movement, especially for students and academics.
The 8th Summit of the European Union and African Union will be held in Brussels.