President of the European Commission, Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, will arrive in Addis Ababa today for the 10th EU-African Union (AU) joint meeting.
She will be accompanied by 20 commissioners and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The meeting will take place on Thursday and focuses on key issues such as growth, employment, green transition, digital transition, peace, security and governance, as well as mobility and migration.
Before leaving Brussels, the President said “Europe and Africa are natural partners. We have a historical bond and we share many of today’s challenges. One of our main goals is to capitalize on the green and digital transformation of our economies to create opportunities for young people.”
The 10th meeting at a committee level marks an unprecedented EU engagement, demonstrating the priority relations Africa represents for the new European Commission and its ambition to move them to a new level.
The EU and AU will discuss how to build on their cooperation to tackle key challenges facing both Europe and Africa, such as the need to promote sustainable growth and jobs, green transition, digital transformation, peace, security and good governance, mobility and migration.
The meeting will also be an opportunity for the EU to consult with its African partners on the forthcoming Integrated Strategy for Africa, which the President, Mr von Leyen, has pledged to draft in the first 100 days of her mandate to be presented in early March.
The presentation of the document will trigger a wider consultation process leading up to the May 2020 EU-AU Ministerial Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda and the forthcoming October EU-AU Summit in Brussels, where both sides will agree on a common approach to shared priorities.
