Introduction
The Africa-EU Partnership
In an ever changing world, one thing is sure: Africa and Europe will remain each other’s closest neighbours. Africa’s 54 countries and the European Union’s 28 Member States have a shared neighbourhood, history and future.
It was in this spirit that African and European leaders as well as the presidents of the continental institutions came together at the Lisbon Summit in December 2007 to put their relations on a new footing and to create the Africa-EU Partnership, based upon a strong political relationship and close cooperation in all areas.
Africa has been pursuing its political and economic integration at the continental level. From the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) 50 years ago and even more so since the creation of the African Union (AU) in 2002, Africa has built continental institutions and established ambitious policies and initiatives in many key areas that are both important for the development of the continent and of direct interest to the EU. In this context, developing the relationship between the two Unions has become a priority for both sides.
The Africa-EU Partnership is based on shared values and aims at promoting common interests and achieving shared strategic objectives. It strives to bring Africa and Europe closer together through the strengthening of economic cooperation and the promotion of sustainable development, with both continents living side by side in peace, security, democracy, prosperity, solidarity and human dignity.
In this set up, both sides are determined to overcome the traditional donor-recipient relationship, and to develop a shared long-term vision for EU-Africa relations in a globalised world, where they have many common interests on issues such as climate change, global security or progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the post-2015 development agenda.
