President Ramaphosa arrives in Brussels for 6th AU-EU Summit

President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Brussels, Belgium, to participate in the 6th African Union-European Union (AU-EU) Summit taking place on 17 and 18 February 2022.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor is accompanying the President. 

President Ramaphosa has been invited by the Chairperson of the AU Commission to participate in the Summit.

The Summit will hold an opening ceremony, which will be followed by seven thematic roundtables in which leaders will exchange views and commitments on:

1.    Financing for sustainable and inclusive growth;
2.    Climate change and energy transition, digital and transport [connectivity and infrastructure]; 
3.    Peace, security and governance; 
4.    Private sector support and economic integration;
5.    Education, culture and vocational training, migration and mobility;
6.    Agriculture and sustainable development; and
7.    Health systems and vaccine production.

President Ramaphosa will participate in the climate change and energy transition, digital and transport roundtable today, 17 February and will chair the roundtable on health systems and vaccine production tomorrow, 18 February 2022.

The strategic partnership between Africa and the EU was initiated through the 1st AU-EU Summit in Cairo, Egypt, in 2000. 

The partnership became structured through the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) that was an outcome of the 2nd AU-EU Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, in December 2007. 

This strategy is the overall cooperation framework that governs this partnership.

The 2022 Summit is expected to adopt a declaration and deliverables that set out broad  agreement between Africa and the European Union on how both continents can build greater prosperity.

The aim is to launch an ambitious Africa-Europe Investment Package, taking into account global challenges such as climate change and the current health crisis.

Leaders will also explore tools and solutions to promote stability and security through a renewed peace and security architecture.

The opening and closing ceremonies of the Summit will be livestreamed as follows:

Opening ceremony

Date: Thursday, 17 February 2022
Time: 14:45 Central European Standard Time or 15:45 South African Standard Time.

Closing ceremony

Date: Friday, 18 February 2022
Time: 12:15 Central European Standard Time or 13:15 South African Standard Time.

Videos and photos of host coverage will be available for free without registration on the Council Newsroom website at http://council.eu/tv.
 
Broadcasters can use the live coverage provided by European Broadcasting Union (EBU), https://www.eurovision.net Council live (https://video.consilium.europa.eu) and EbS (https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/) will also provide a live coverage of the event.


Media enquires: Tyrone Seale, Acting spokesperson to the President, on media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria