The African Union–European Union Summit (also known as the Africa–Europe Summit) is a triennial meeting of heads of state and government from the member states of the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU).
History The institutional partnership between Africa and Europe was formally established in April 2000 during the inaugural Africa-EU Summit held in Cairo, Egypt. At this meeting, leaders adopted the Cairo Declaration, framing a regular dialogue to address geopolitical, economic, and social ties. After the inaugural summit, tensions surrounding human rights, notably involving Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, resulted in several delays in subsequent summits.Barroso defends decision to invite Mugabe to conference , The Independent, 7 December 2007 The dialogue successfully resumed at the second summit in Lisbon in 2007, with the adoption of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy.
List of Summits The summits traditionally alternate hosting venues between European and African nations:
No. Date City Country Host Notes 1st 3–4 April 2000 Cairo Hosni Mubarak Cairo Declaration. 2nd 8–9 December 2007 Lisbon José Sócrates Adoption of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES). 3rd 29–30 November 2010 Tripoli Muammar Gaddafi 4th 2–3 April 2014 Brussels Herman Van Rompuy 5th 29–30 November 2017 Abidjan Alassane Ouattara Focused on investing in youth and demographic shifts. 6th 17–18 February 2022 Brussels Charles Michel Adopted the "Joint Vision for 2030"; emphasis on Global Gateway investments and post-COVID-19 recovery. 7th 24–25 November 2025 Luanda João Lourenço Marked the 25th anniversary of the formal partnership.
See also African Union European Union Foreign relations of the European Union
References