European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began a business summit with African leaders in the Angolan capital of Luanda on Monday.
But the talks opened against the backdrop of European leaders having been occupied with a plan to end the war in Ukraine.
European leaders last week raised alarm about a US plan to end the war in Ukraine that was seen as heavily favoring Moscow’s demands.
The German foreign minister and the US secretary of state directed new talks in Switzerland on Sunday to come up with a plan that was acceptable to both Ukrainians and Europeans.
European leaders were set to continue discussions this morning on the sidelines of the summit in Angola.
EU Council President Antonio Costa said he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this morning before chairing an informal meeting with EU leaders.
Kenyan President William Ruto, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron are among the leaders set to attend the two-day summit in Angola.
EU chief opens seventh EU-AU summit in Angola with focus on investment
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen opened the summit by outlining three important visions that were part of a broader program called “Global Gateway,” first established in 2021.
The summit, officially called the European Union-African Union (EU-AU) summit, was last held in 2022 in Brussels. That was the sixth edition. The first EU-AU summit was held in Cairo in 2000.
Von der Leyen said the EU was on track in terms of achieving a target to spend €150 billion to strengthen partnerships in Africa by 2027, as part of the Global Gateway project.
On Monday, she said the bloc has since “mobilized investments of over EUR 120 billion” including promotion of digital infrastructure, vibrant entrepreneurship and regional integration so companies can grow.
These projects were in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
What to know about EU, AU cooperation
The EU and African teams work together on conflict prevention on the continent and are major economic partners.
The EU currently deploys 12 civilian and military missions and operations on the continent, including in Libya, Mali, Somalia and the Central African Republic.
The EU is Africa’s largest trading partner and investor, while Africa is the EU’s 4th largest trade partner.
The EU invested €239 billion ($275 billion) in foreign direct investment in Africa in 2023.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
