Africa-Press – Liberia. More than 40 African leaders as well as all 27 EU chiefs are in Brussels, Belgium attending today’s EU-African Union summit which last two days. In a departure from the regular summit format, leaders are convening in small roundtable groups based around themes — cybersecurity and counter-terrorism, inclusive growth, health and vaccinations.
Each session is moderated by EU and African leaders, with external experts including IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva and Werner Hoyer of the European Investment Bank also participating. The EU has big ambitions when it comes to the long-postponed summit — the first of its kind to take place in Brussels since 2014.
Predicting “lively debates and a real exchange between leaders” today and Friday, one senior EU official said it would mark a step-change in the relationship between the two partners. Another promised “concrete actions that deliver concrete results.”
One big question mark is the €150 billion earmarked for investments in Africa, which is being billed as a key deliverable from the summit. The target for Africa accounts for half of the €300 billion “Global Gateway Initiative” unveiled by the Commission in December, to rival China’s Belt and Road. But questions remain as to how this will be financed.
The Commission hopes to mobilize over €150 billion in public and private investment over seven years, including grants, loans and private capital Europe’s refusal to give up COVID-19 vaccine technology has been a sore point for African countries, even as the EU argues it is the world’s leader in sharing surplus vaccines with Africa.
The EU is pledging to share 700 million vaccines by mid-2022 and maintains it will reach this target. But it still opposes waiving intellectual property rights for coronavirus products. It’s “not the right solution,” a senior Commission official said on the eve of the summit — an argument unlikely to be welcomed by the African side.
To mark the end of Africa-Europe week, BOZAR [Centre for Fine Arts is a multi-purpose cultural venue in Brussels, Belgium] is hosting a free concert featuring Maisha, an Afro-European musical collective comprising 12 artists from both continents, with special guest Youssou N’Dour, at Henry Le Boeuf Hall.
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