EU/Africa Summit with high level of participants and PALOP all present

At a time when preparations are being finalized for what is the first summit between the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) since 2017, European diplomatic sources said that the heads of state and/or government in general are expected in Brussels. of the member states of both organizations, with the exception of the four countries currently suspended by the AU due to coups d'état (Burkina Faso, Mali, Sudan and Guinea-Conakry) and, eventually, the occasional last-minute absence.

The PALOP countries should all be represented at the highest level at the Brussels summit, with the same sources indicating that the heads of state of Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and São Tomé e Príncipe, and the vice-president of the Republic of Angola.

Portugal will be represented by the prime minister, António Costa, who will participate in two of the seven thematic roundtables that will be organized over the two days of the summit, in addition to the opening and closing ceremonies, which will feature the group of leaders.

In an unprecedented fashion, a large part of the summit's work will be divided between seven thematic roundtables, co-chaired by two European heads of state and as many Africans, in several cases with external guests from other organizations and civil society.

The topics under discussion are "financing for sustainable and inclusive growth", "climate change and the energy, digital and transport transition", "peace, security and governance", "support for the private sector and economic integration", "education, culture, vocational training, migration and mobility", "agriculture and sustainable development" and "health systems and vaccine production".

The VI EU-Africa summit was originally scheduled for 2020, but was successively postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic, which in particular prevented it from taking place during the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2021.

The initiative will then finally take place this week in Brussels, and with a 'full house', which led the organization to restrict the size of the delegations to an unprecedented level, given the still unstable health situation.