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About Delegation of the EU to AU

The role of the EU Delegation

The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to the African Union (AU) was created in 2008. Its overall purpose is to contribute to enhancing the unique Partnership that exists between the two Unions. The EU Delegation operates in an environment which includes 55 AU Member States, regional and pan-African organizations and institutions, such as the AU Commission, and international partners. The Delegation deals with a wide range of topics. This includes both dialogue on political issues of mutual concern as they arise, as well as longer-term cooperation and institution building.

The Joint Africa-EU Strategy

The Joint Africa-EU Strategy, adopted at the Lisbon Summit in 2007, constitutes the overarching long-term framework for Africa-EU relations. EU-Africa Summits in Tripoli (2010) and Brussels (2014) refined the Partnership's Strategy, taking into consideration changes and emerging priorities on both continents. The 5th and most recent AU-EU Summit took place in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, in November 2017.

The 5th AU-EU Summit

The 5th African Union - European Union Summit brought together EU and AU leaders to define the future direction for cooperation between the two continents. The theme of the Summit was "Investing in Youth for a Sustainable Future".

African and European Heads of State and Government adopted a Joint Declaration setting out their commitment to invest in youth for accelerated inclusive growth and sustainable development.

The Summit agreed on four common strategic priorities for the period leading up to the next Summit:

  • Investing in people – education, science, technology and skills development
  • Strengthening Resilience, Peace, Security and Governance
  • Migration and mobility
  • Mobilising Investments for African structural and sustainable transformation

Young leaders contributed to the Summit both through the 4th Africa-Europe Youth Summit and the Youth Plug-In Initiative, which allowed 36 youth fellows to elaborate concrete and innovative proposals in six thematic areas. The resulting Youth Agenda was embraced by Heads of State and Government at the Summit.