Dr. Nicholas Westcott – EEAS Africa Managing Director
Following the previous summits held in Cairo, Lisbon and Tripoli, the fourth EU-Africa summit will take place in Brussels, Belgium, on 2-3 April under the theme “Investing in People, Prosperity and Peace”.
The summit will illustrate how EU-Africa relations have evolved over the past years, will highlight the results achieved by the Continental Partnership and will frame cooperation for the years to come. The Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) adopted at the 2nd EU-Africa summit in Lisbon in 2007 established a partnership of equals going beyond development to tackle issues and challenges of common interest. In that spirit, both continents are committed to seize further cooperation opportunities and expand their political, economic, investment and trade ties.
The summit will discuss ways to deepen cooperation under the three areas identified in its theme i.e. people, prosperity and peace.
The summit will also give the opportunity to take stock of ongoing and future cooperation in the various fields covered by the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and to look into ways to enable more effective and streamlined implementation. Important global issues such as climate change, the post-2015 development frameworks may also enter discussions.
The summit is expected to adopt a political declaration which will cover all topics pertaining to EU-Africa relations. It should also adopt an implementing document shaping continental cooperation taking place in the framework of the JAES for the three years to come. It could also endorse other documents if deemed relevant.
Source: European Union
