The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, today arrived Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to attend the 10th round of African Union (AU)- European Union (EU) Commission-to-Commission meeting.
The information from the AU shows that the AU-EU partnership has steadily grown since the first AU-EU Summit in Cairo in 2000. It is currently framed by the Joint AU-EU Strategy adopted in 2007. Regular Summits at the level of Heads of State or Government are held every three years to define the political priorities.
“We will work on a new Strategy with Africa. Today’s discussion is the starting point. This is the very first step we take and it’s an important step in taking our lasting partnership to the next level
It is indicated that he College of Commissioners of both the European Commission and the African Union Commission meet regularly to provide political guidance to the AU-EU Partnership,” she said at the meeting with the African Union Commission officials this morning.
“Alternating between the cities of Brussels and Addis Ababa, the meetings aim to be an interactive exchange of expertise and constructive debate on areas of shared interest. In addition, they provide an opportunity to review progress made on the Partnership, to improve cooperation between the two institutions, and to focus on what they can learn from each other with regard to common priorities and challenges,”AU said.
The last AU-EU Commission-to-Commission meeting took place in Brussels, Belgium, on 23 May 2018. AU and EU Commissioners adopted measures to address pressing global issues in key areas such as peace and security, migration, job creation and agriculture.
It is stated that this new meeting follows the official visit to African Union Headquarters and to Ethiopia by Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in December 2019.