EU - Africa Relations

The EU - Africa framework for cooperation is set out in the Cotonou Agreement, the EU-Africa Joint Strategy, the three regional strategies, namely the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Guinea and the Sahel, as well as formal Dialogues such as the Summits at the level of Heads of State or Government, normally held every three years, Ministerial-level meetings, which are held on a regular basis, meetings at the level of Committees, Sectorial Dialogues and Political Dialogues under Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement. The EU-Africa Joint Strategy was adopted in 2007 as the official channel for EU relations with African countries and is implemented through periodic Action Plans. In March 2020, the European Commission and the EEAS issued a Joint Communication titled "Towards a comprehensive strategy with Africa".

The Communication proposes cooperation on five key global trends: a Partnership for Green Transition and Access to Energy, a Partnership for Digital Transformation, a Partnership for Sustainable Development and Jobs, a Partnership for Peace Security and Governance, and a Partnership on Immigration and Mobility. The above is build on the growing momentum of EU - Africa relations and gives a new impetus to the bilateral Partnership. On 30 June 2020, the Council adopted Conclusions on Africa, reiterating the paramount importance of a stronger and more ambitious Partnership and noting that the Joint Communication is an excellent basis in this regard. The next EU - Africa Summit, in 2021, is seen as crucial to renewing a comprehensive common strategic approach in which African and European leaders will meet to set common priorities for their common future.

The Cotonou Partnership Agreement is the general framework for the EU 's relations with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. It covers the EU's relations with 79 countries, including 48 sub-Saharan African countries. On 3 December 2020, the EU and the Organization of African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) agreed, at political level, on the text of the new Cotonou Agreement, initialed on 15 April 2021 and constituting therefore the legal framework for EU-ACP bilateral relations. The agreement aims, on the one hand, to strengthen the capacity of the EU and the ACP countries to tackle global problems together and, on the other, to reduce and ultimately to eradicate poverty by promoting the gradual integration of the ACP countries into the world economy. It is based on three pillars: development cooperation, economic and trade cooperation, political dimension, covering the following priority areas: democracy and human rights, sustainable economic development, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, migration and mobility. The ACP-EU Council of Ministers is the highest body of the ACP - EU Partnership. It meets once a year, in Brussels and in an ACP country, alternately. Finally, three separate Regional Protocols for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific are annexed to the Agreement, with an emphasis on the specific needs of these regions.

Greece, recognizing that Africa is a key strategic partner of the EU, supports a new impetus in the EU - Africa Partnership, aimed at strengthening and further developing the latter, aiming at the prosperity and stability of the two continents.