EU, African Union leaders to discuss economy, security tomorrow

By Selen Temizer

BRUSSELS (AA) – The EU and African Union leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday at a two-day summit to discuss Africa's economic development, vaccine independence, energy transformation, and security.

The meeting will be held for the sixth time on Feb 17-18, exploring opportunities for renewed and deeper partnership.

The summit will focus on the economy and discuss the Africa-Europe Investment Package, which includes global challenges such as climate change and the current health crisis.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in a statement on Oct. 28, 2021 that the EU aimed to produce 3.5 billion doses of vaccines in 2022 and that most of them will be exported. She stated that the main topic of the EU-Africa Summit will be the achievement of vaccine independence of the continent.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell in a speech had argued the EU must look at Africa positively, rather than only through the lens of migration problems, and that Africa offers countless opportunities.

Underlining that the problems of Africa are also the problems of the EU, Borrell drew attention to the security crisis in the Sahel region.

Saying that the EU's security begins in the Sahel, he called for better and expanded relations with this region.

The previous EU-African Union summit was held in Ivory Coast on Nov. 29-30, 2017.