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The EU–AU Partnership
More than five decades of institutional cooperation between Europe and Africa, from the Yaoundé Convention to today's Global Gateway — the world's most ambitious inter-continental development partnership.
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More than five decades of institutional cooperation between Europe and Africa, from the Yaoundé Convention to today's Global Gateway — the world's most ambitious inter-continental development partnership.
The EU–AU relationship is one of the world's most structured and institutionalised inter-continental partnerships, spanning trade, development, security, and people-to-people ties.
Its roots lie in post-colonial trade arrangements, but today's partnership is far more symmetrical, complex, and contested. The 2022 6th EU–AU Summit in Brussels reset the relationship with a renewed emphasis on investment, health sovereignty, and digital connectivity — moving away from donor-recipient dynamics toward genuine partnership.
The EU is Africa's largest trade partner, accounting for nearly 30% of total African trade. Africa, in turn, is increasingly central to EU supply chains for critical minerals essential to the green transition.
Committed to Africa by 2030 for digital, climate, energy, transport, health, and education infrastructure.
The broader Global Gateway fund, leveraging public and private capital to crowd-in investment.
Vaccine manufacturing, health system strengthening, and pandemic preparedness through Team Europe.
Six decades of evolving institutional relationship between Europe and Africa.
The first post-colonial trade and aid framework between the EEC and 18 African states, granting preferential access to European markets.
Landmark agreement providing non-reciprocal trade preferences to ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) countries, alongside aid flows through the European Development Fund.
Replaced Lomé with a new framework introducing reciprocal Economic Partnership Agreements, tying trade to governance conditionality.
The first comprehensive political strategy defining a partnership of equals across eight thematic areas, moving beyond development assistance.
Brussels summit reaffirmed the partnership with €26.5 billion in EU aid pledged, focusing on peace, governance, and economic transformation.
EU announced the first €44B external investment plan for Africa, establishing the first blended-finance vehicle for the continent.
Historic Brussels summit committed €150 billion through Global Gateway, reset the relationship as peer-to-peer, and launched health manufacturing partnership.
Both unions signed the Nairobi Digital Declaration, committing to broadband coverage for 80% of African urban populations by 2030, co-funded by Global Gateway.
As agreed at the 2022 EU–AU Summit, five thematic areas define joint action.
Joint renewable energy projects, clean hydrogen corridors, and carbon market linkages between Europe and Africa.
EU digital standards, data governance frameworks, and investment in African digital infrastructure and AI capacity.
African vaccine manufacturing, technology transfer, health system financing, and pandemic preparedness agreements.
Supporting sustainable food systems, smallholder value chains, and food security through joint research and investment.
Erasmus+ mobility expansion, Horizon collaboration, and joint research infrastructure for climate and health science.
Follow the latest partnership developments in our News & Updates section →