17 March, 2023 from 10:00 to 12:00
Online

The aim of this meeting is to discuss with EU civil society the latest developments in EU-Africa trade and investment relations and exchange views on EU trade and investment policy in Africa.

The Trade Policy Review Communication published by the European Commission in February 2021 confirmed the importance of Africa in the EU’s trade policy. It proposed to enhance further sustainable trade and investment links, both between the EU and Africa and in Africa itself, while also strengthening existing regional integration processes.

The Joint Declaration signed at the margins of the European Union-African Union summit held in Brussels in February 2022 presented a joint vision for a renewed partnership between Africa and the EU. It provided an important occasion to strengthen our joint trade and investment agenda, in particular through the adoption of the Africa-Europe Global Gateway Investment Package. EU and African Union leaders also underlined their commitment to multilateralism.

The EU is working to step up its engagement on trade with Africa, with four Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) as part of the Association Agreements (AAs) with North African countries as part of our common Union for the Mediterranean space and the five Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with 14 Sub-Saharan African partners remaining the cornerstone of our trade relations. The main objective of the agreements is to leverage trade and investment for sustainable development. Their current focus is on implementation and extending their scope. In this context, the EU is negotiating the modernisation of the EU-Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) EPA. The EU Trade Policy Review has also put an offer of modernising EU trade and investment relations with those countries in North Africa interested in fostering cooperation with the European Union.

On investment, sustainable investment facilitation agreements (SIFAs) in Africa aim at improving the investment climate and support sustainable development. The recently concluded EU-Angola SIFA will support Angola’s efforts to improve the investment climate for both foreign and local investors.

EU-Africa trade and investment relations are built upon the Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs of September 2018 and the Communication Towards a Comprehensive Strategy with Africa of March 2020, which remain the key markers of the EU’s relations with Africa. The economic pillar of the latter identifies trade – alongside regional and continental economic integration – as a major element to promote the sustainable development of African countries. Cooperation on trade and investment with North African countries is also pursued at regional level in the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean and in line with a dedicated strategy, 'The new agenda for the Mediterranean' of February 2021, providing for a an Economic and Investment Plan to spur the long-term socio-economic recovery of the countries.

Registration closes on: 14/03/2023 at 12:00

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