The announcement of the withdrawal of French forces from Mali did not so much upset the first day of the AU-EU summit. European and African leaders began the summit in Brussels with the aim of tackling common challenges.
After a short meeting of twenty-seven devoted to tensions around Ukraine, 40 of the 55 member leaders of the African Union (AU) called on their EU counterparts to define a new partnership based on “exchange and sharing”. met.
A common declaration will be adopted during the summit and will be accompanied by a list of concrete projects.

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Following the announcement of the French decision to leave Mali, the European Union intends to examine “within a few days” whether the conditions and guarantees for the maintenance of its two Military Training Missions (EUTM) and Police (EUCAP) in Mali have been met. has been accomplished, announced the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell.

The instability of the African continent “new actors” Chinese and Russian “whose methods and agendas are very different from ours”, he underlined.
The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is another priority. Only 11% of the population of the African continent is fully vaccinated.
The European Union has donated 150 million vaccines to Africa and will continue this effort. It will also support the construction of vaccine production centers in Senegal, Rwanda, Ghana and South Africa.
Europeans also want to review their financial support: a global investment strategy plan concluded with 150 billion euros over seven years is intended to “assist projects desired and implemented by Africans for the transformation of their economies”. Climate and energy are also considered a priority.

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Wendy Bashi attends the opening of DW’s Summit. Click on the photo above to hear its details.