European and African leaders will meet today in Brussels for the sixth European Union (EU) - African Union (AU) summit. The two-day meeting is widely seen as an effort by Europe to re-engage with Africa amid Russia and China’s growing influence on the continent.
According to a statement released by the EU, the two-day summit will focus on improving economic, security, and political ties. “The summit will present a unique opportunity to lay the foundations for a renewed and deeper AU-EU partnership with the highest political involvement and based on trust and a clear understanding of mutual interests,” the statement said.
In a separate statement, the European Council said that the motto for the summit is “Africa and Europe: A joint vision for 2030.” It added that the meeting aims to build a “new partnership” between Africa and Europe, expedite recovery beyond the pandemic, and promote a “large-scale investment package” in Africa.
Although the statements did not directly mention Russian or Chinese influence in the continent, several reports indicate that the summit is specifically meant to counter Moscow and Beijing’s expanding footprint in the region.
For instance, the summit is taking place as France is considering withdrawing its roughly 2,400 troops from Mali. The troops are part of a French-led military operation—Operation Barkhane—which aims to contain Islamist insurgency in the Sahel region. French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has confirmed, however, that French troops will continue participating in counterterrorism operations in the Sahel region at large.
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron met with African leaders in Paris to discuss its military role in the region. The meeting came as Mali’s transitional government reportedly allowed the Russian paramilitary company Wagner Group to deploy mercenaries in the country.
Both the EU and the United States have been opposed the presence of Russian mercenaries in Mali. France has condemned the deployment of Wagner troops in the country and said that the presence of private mercenaries in the country would lead to regional instability.
The Wagner group has been deploying mercenaries to several African countries, including the Central African Republic, Libya, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Sudan. Regional governments have offered the group money and lucrative deals to extract their country’s natural resources in return for help in combating local insurgencies.
Against this backdrop, the EU has been actively trying to improve security ties with African countries. Strengthening AU-EU engagement in security, including in the fields of maritime security, cybersecurity and fighting terrorism, is a key agenda of the summit.
Preparing the #EUAUSummit with @AUC_MoussaFaki
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 16, 2022
Europe and Africa are working together for a prosperous future.
For this, we need massive investments in infrastructure.
And we also need investments in people, especially our youth.
These are the #GlobalGateway priorities. pic.twitter.com/9f0tYkYsva
“Peace is not just the absence of war: partners are also working on conflict prevention, enhancing the rule of law, promoting human rights and preventing gender-based violence,” the European Council statement read.
Ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine are also expected to be broached during the summit. While the statement did not mention that the conflict would be part of the discussions, it said that European Council members held an informal meeting to discuss the “latest developments related to Russia and Ukraine.”
Additionally, the statement also noted that the EU plans on investing heavily in development projects across Africa through the Africa-Europe Investment Package, which takes into account global challenges like climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At the end of the summit, a joint declaration on a joint vision for 2030 is expected to be adopted by the participants,” the Council stated. It said that through the joint declaration, leaders will announce a $170 billion investment package.
It also said that the package was part of the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, which aims to establish links and promote investments in different parts of the world. The Global Gateway aims to boost clean, innovative, and secure connections in transport, digital energy, and strengthen health, education and research systems worldwide. It also aims to build sustainable links with nations to address contemporary challenges, including climate change, improving health security, and the need to boost global supply chains.
The initiative has been touted as competitor China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which so far has enlisted 43 of 55 African countries as partners. Under the BRI, China has built a network of infrastructure projects worth billions of dollars. However, it has faced accusations of practising debt-trap diplomacy, wherein partnered states have been forced to surrender control of key industries owing to their inability to pay back exorbitant loans.
“We will demonstrate that the EU is Africa’s most trusted partner,” Josep Borell, the EU’s top diplomat said on Wednesday.
The summit will also focus on “speeding up” vaccination efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council said that Europe is ready to help Africa produce vaccines and that European countries have exported 350 million vaccine doses to the continent since the COVID-19 crisis began in 2020.
Leaders will also discuss cooperation on issues like agriculture and sustainable development, education, private sector support, governance, and climate change and energy transition.