MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on renewing the EU-Africa partnership: building common priorities ahead of the Angola Summit – B10-0475/2025

B10‑0475/2025

European Parliament resolution on renewing the EU-Africa partnership: building common priorities ahead of the Angola Summit

(2025/2933(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Africa and Europe are neighbouring continents whose futures are closely interlinked; whereas the EU should aim to be Africa’s leading partner in trade, investment, development aid, humanitarian assistance, peace and security, energy and digital transformation; whereas African countries together constitute the EU’s fourth-largest trading partner, while the EU is Africa’s largest export market;

B. whereas Africa is an indispensable partner in addressing global challenges, including ensuring sustainable access to critical raw materials, advancing green and digital transitions, strengthening global food security, supporting a dynamic labour market, preventing conflict, addressing insecurities and building peace; whereas increasing EU-Africa cooperation can unlock shared opportunities for innovation, industrial development, job creation, human development, achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and long-term prosperity on both continents;

C. whereas the Samoa Agreement provides a renewed and modernised foundation for relations between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific states, aiming to strengthen their capacity to address these global challenges together and to move decisively towards a partnership of equals grounded in mutual respect and shared interests;

D. whereas Africa’s growing global engagement reflects its increasing political and economic influence; whereas this underlines the importance of a principled, transparent and mutually beneficial partnership that supports both African and European priorities and promotes long-term stability and prosperity;

E. whereas peace, security and good governance are prerequisites for prosperity, yet several African regions particularly those in fragile settings, continue to face instability, terrorism, unconstitutional changes of government, and humanitarian crises which have only been exacerbated by cuts in development spending by some EU Member States and the United States;

F. whereas China is seeking to expand support for its global initiatives, establish economic dependencies for political purposes, and broaden its influence on the continent, including in the media sphere, where it is acquiring local and regional media platforms to spread pro-Chinese and anti-Western propaganda;

G. whereas the EU remains the largest development and humanitarian aid donor in Africa; whereas unfortunately, the global humanitarian system is currently facing an unprecedented funding crisis, with only 43 % of the USD 50 billion UN humanitarian appeal met in 2024 and only 13 % of the 2025 appeal met up to July 2025; whereas the situation has been further exacerbated by the dismantling of several programmes of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and by reductions in foreign aid from other key donors, including certain EU Member States, with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development projecting a 9 % to 17 % drop in official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, leading to more severe hunger and jeopardising critical humanitarian, health, gender equality and climate initiatives;

H. whereas Africa’s population exceeded 1.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, with the majority of people being under 30 years of age; whereas this demographic dynamism presents both opportunities and challenges, requiring massive investment in education, employment, healthcare and infrastructure;

I. whereas Africa possesses vast potential for renewable energy, innovation and sustainable development; whereas despite contributing minimally to global emissions, the continent is actively pursuing climate resilience and green growth, and joint EU-African Union (AU) leadership can accelerate a just, inclusive and sustainable transition;

J. whereas the African Continental Free Trade Area is a transformative project for Africa’s integration and economic sovereignty, yet Africa’s participation in global trade and investment remains limited;

K. whereas migration and mobility between Africa and Europe are long-standing complex and dynamic realities that have fostered cultural, social and economic ties while also presenting challenges;

L. whereas 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the formal Africa-EU Partnership, providing a historic opportunity to renew and elevate relations, putting the partners on an equal footing for the next generation;

New strategic partnership of equals

1. Calls for a renewed and forward-looking Africa-EU partnership built on mutual respect, shared interests and the understanding that both continents need each other and are stronger together; notes that, in a time of shifting geopolitical dynamics, rising extremism and growing global insecurity, as well as cuts in development and humanitarian spending, closer cooperation between the EU and Africa is more essential than ever; underlines that genuine partnership and joint multilateral action are the most effective ways to promote peace, prosperity, sustainable trade and human development; stresses the importance of transparent, values-based engagement, in contrast with the influence of external powers, including China and Russia, whose opaque financial, security and disinformation activities risk undermining sovereignty, stability and democratic governance in Africa;

2. Calls for the EU to step up its strategic communication and visibility across Africa, clearly demonstrating the tangible benefits of the EU’s partnership model, which is grounded in mutual respect, transparency and sustainability; stresses that the EU must ‘show its flag’ more effectively through coherent diplomacy, visible investment and closer coordination between the Commission, the European External Action Service (EEAS), Parliament and the Member States, to project a united European voice;

3. Calls on the 22 EU Member States and the 66 African partners who have not yet ratified the Samoa Agreement to do so without delay, to move it from provisional application to full entry into force;

4. Urges the Commission to conduct thorough impact assessments and stakeholder consultations, including with African counterparts directly affected by EU legislation, and to base its proposals on the full evidence available;

Peace, security and good governance

5. Expresses deep concern at the spread of conflicts, jihadist terrorism, military coups and state collapses, democratic backsliding and violent extremism in several parts of Africa and calls for a comprehensive approach combining defence, peacebuilding, security measures, deradicalisation and socio-economic development;

6. Expresses profound concern at the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation across the Sahel, in particular in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where large areas remain under the control of armed groups, and civilians face widespread displacement and food insecurity; stresses that the crisis is spilling over into West Africa’s coastal democracies and generating dangerous power vacuums following the withdrawal of international missions; condemns Russia’s destabilising strategy in the region, including the transformation of the Wagner Group into Africa Corps, disinformation operations and predatory practices in relation to resources, and notes that reliance on such support by military juntas has failed to stabilise the situation and has enabled terrorist groups to regain ground; regrets that the EU Training Mission in Mali, the EU Military Partnership Mission in Niger and the EU Capacity Building Mission in Niger and other international deployments have not delivered lasting peace; calls for an evidence-based, in-depth assessment of mandates, roles and policies and for a profoundly revised, integrated EU common security and defence policy strategy for the Sahel that is coherent with development policy and informs the use of the European Peace Facility, prioritises humanitarian access and the protection of civilians, and conditions EU security assistance on full respect for international humanitarian and human rights law; supports the targeted prevention of spillover through the civilian-military EU Security and Defence Initiative in Support of West African Countries of the Gulf of Guinea to bolster the resilience of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin in their northern border areas; calls for coordinated, principled EU-AU action grounded in democracy, human rights and the rule of law, including measures to counter foreign information manipulation and interference, disrupt illicit resource and criminal economies that finance armed groups, and invest in governance, service delivery and local economic opportunities to address structural drivers of instability;

7. Expresses deep concern at the continuing violence, political instability and humanitarian crises in several parts of Africa; recalls in particular the devastating conflict in Sudan, where fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has resulted in mass civilian casualties, displacement and widespread human rights violations; strongly condemns all atrocities, including the deliberate targeting of civilians and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, and calls for full accountability and unhindered humanitarian access; welcomes regional and UN-led diplomatic efforts and calls for the EU to intensify coordination with the AU and neighbouring states to support ceasefire negotiations and inclusive peacebuilding; notes with concern the persistent fragility and lack of national reconciliation in Libya, whose instability continues to affect both African and European security; calls for renewed EU engagement, in close cooperation with the UN, to promote a unified political process, transparent elections and the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries; welcomes the contribution of the EU Military Assistance Mission Mozambique to restoring security in Cabo Delgado while stressing the need to embed human rights, community resilience and principles of good governance to ensure lasting stability and local trust; underlines the role of the EU Capacity Building Mission in Somalia in reinforcing the capacities of the Somali police maritime security and the rule of law; calls for closer coordination with international partners and for the integration of the mission’s work within broader EU efforts to strengthen governance, justice and counterterrorism resilience in the Horn of Africa; remains alarmed by the situation in Ethiopia, including in the Tigray region, where serious human rights abuses have been reported; calls on the Ethiopian authorities to guarantee unrestricted humanitarian access, pursue genuine national dialogue and uphold the rule of law and fundamental freedoms; underlines that all EU engagement in conflict-affected and transitional contexts must promote democracy, accountability and African ownership, ensuring coordination with the AU and regional initiatives to foster reconciliation, stability and sustainable development across the continent;

8. Calls for the EU to step up its efforts to promote peace, security and stability across the African continent; calls for predictable, long-term financing of AU-mandated peace operations, including through UN-assessed contributions in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2719 (2023); stresses the need for permanent African representation in the UN Security Council; supports African-led peace operations and mediation efforts under the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA);

9. Calls on the Council and the Commission to strengthen EU-Africa security and defence cooperation, including by establishing a rapid EU response capacity to counter terrorism, violent extremism and external interference, particularly in fragile states; underlines that such cooperation must complement and reinforce African-led efforts under the APSA and must fully respect international law, democratic oversight and the principles of a partnership of equals; emphasises that counterterrorism operations must fully respect international humanitarian and human rights law; supports EU programmes for community resilience, women and youth engagement and post-conflict reconstruction;

10. Welcomes the recent peace agreement reached between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but remains deeply concerned by the continuing violence and insecurity in eastern DRC, particularly in North Kivu and Ituri, which have caused immense human suffering and displacement; calls for the EU, in this context, to play an active and coordinated role in supporting implementation of the peace process, focusing on enhancing inclusivity and women’s participation, humanitarian access and the protection of civilians; stresses that, for lasting stability, the economic dimensions of the conflict need to be addressed, including the illegal exploitation of natural resources and raw materials, and justice needs to be ensured for victims of war crimes, including conflict-related sexual violence; calls for the EU to promote responsible sourcing, transparency in supply chains, and investment in value added in the DRC and the Great Lakes region;

11. Calls for enhanced cooperation on electoral observation and democracy building, in partnership with the AU and regional organisations;

12. Calls for dedicated funding for local women mediators and peacebuilders, young peacebuilders, community leaders, civil society organisations and women’s organisations; reaffirms the essential role of women and young people in peacebuilding and governance; calls for both unions to implement the Women, Peace and Security agenda and the Youth, Peace and Security agenda, ensuring full, equal and meaningful participation of women and young people in all stages of a peace process and in decision-making;

13. Underlines the importance of institutionalising the parliamentary dimension of future EU-AU summits as an integral component of their framework, to ensure citizen representation, public oversight and a democratic contribution to the deliberations and outcomes of the partnership;

14. Supports efforts to revitalise the Joint Parliamentary Assembly between the European Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament as a forum for democratic dialogue and oversight; encourages regular thematic meetings between parliamentary committees from both continents to ensure the partnership’s accountability;

15. Is concerned about China’s growing political influence in Africa and the expansion of its global initiatives, including the Belt and Road Initiative; notes that, while these projects have mobilised significant investment, they often lack transparency and can create economic dependencies; underlines that the EU offers a sustainable, values-based and transparent alternative, grounded in local ownership, fair competition and mutual benefit; calls for the EU to enhance its strategic communication and visibility, promote joint AU-EU projects in infrastructure, digitalisation and innovation, and support independent media and education initiatives to demonstrate the long-term advantages of the European model of partnership; recognises the strategic importance of critical raw materials for both Africa and Europe and stresses that cooperation in this field must be founded on mutual benefit, transparency and sustainability; calls for Europe’s resilience to be strengthened by moving away from excessive dependencies, particularly on China, through diversification into partnerships that promote responsible mining, local value added, and skills development; underlines that initiatives under the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package should foster resilient, fair and environmentally responsible supply chains, ensuring that resource cooperation contributes to sustainable growth and economic diversification in African countries;

Sustainable growth, trade and infrastructure

16. Supports the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area as a driver of continental integration and calls for the EU to provide technical and financial assistance for its institutions, customs harmonisation and private sector readiness;

17. Underlines the central role of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) – Global Europe as the EU’s main external financing framework supporting cooperation with Africa; stresses that the effective use of the NDICI and its successor instrument is essential to ensure coherence between policy priorities, Global Gateway investments and Team Europe initiatives, as well as to guarantee transparency, accountability and measurable results in EU development action, and to fulfil our EU Treaty obligations, including promoting poverty eradication, sustainable development, human rights and international cooperation;

18. Calls on the Member States, in this regard, to undertake a thorough assessment of shortcomings in their previous approaches to development cooperation with and external assistance for Africa, and to revise and readjust their Africa strategies with a view to fostering sustainable prosperity on the continent and achieving genuinely mutually beneficial partnerships;

19. Stresses the importance of ensuring policy coherence for development (PCD) across all EU external policies, taking into account trade, migration, climate and security concerns; highlights, in this regard, the importance of Parliament’s PCD Network in achieving better alignment of the EU’s external policies;

20. Underlines that ODA remains indispensable in fragile contexts and in least-developed countries; calls on the Member States to sustain and step up progress towards the long-standing UN target of allocating 0.7 % of gross national income (GNI) to ODA and to increase the share directed to least developed countries, in line with EU and international commitments; encourages the exploration of innovative and legally sound financing tools, including voluntary reallocation of the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights where feasible, and the use of structured and transparent debt-for-climate or debt-for-development swaps to strengthen funding for climate adaptation and resilience;

21. Welcomes efforts to make EU external action more coherent through the Global Europe instrument and the Global Gateway strategy, while stressing that flexibility must be matched by predictability, accountability, transparency and parliamentary oversight; expresses concern that ODA may be used for the purpose of private sector investment under the Global Gateway; calls on the Commission, the EEAS, the Council and the Member States to ensure that the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package delivers tangible results, through its 360-degree approach, by aligning projects with African priorities and human development indicators, preventing unsustainable debt, supporting poverty eradication and promoting human development in line with the SDGs and Treaty obligations; recognises that large-scale investment initiatives alone cannot address the complex realities of fragile and conflict-affected settings, nor the vulnerabilities of least-developed and heavily indebted countries; calls therefore for a dedicated EU strategy for engagement in fragile contexts under the future Global Europe instrument, integrating political dialogue, peacebuilding, humanitarian aid and development action, while stressing the need for ring-fenced humanitarian aid in the next multiannual financial framework; underlines the need to improve the visibility and coordination of EU-funded projects through stronger EU delegations and genuine partnerships with African stakeholders;

22. Calls for the creation of a dedicated EU-Africa industrialisation pact under the joint auspices of the AU, the EU and regional development banks, to mobilise public and private capital, which would ensure that Africa is not just a source of raw materials but a hub for processing, manufacturing and innovation, which will create jobs, build local industries and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and generate wealth locally while attracting European businesses, particularly SMEs; asks that, as part of this pact, an EU-Africa infrastructure fund is launched focusing on modern infrastructure, irrigation systems and renewable energy that can transform livelihoods and increase food, water and energy security, with the aim of promoting long-term investment in transport, energy, water and digital networks without trapping African nations in unsustainable debt; stresses that the fund must be Africa-led, transparent and free of political strings while supporting the strengthening of the rule of law; underlines that this initiative would be a tangible expression of a partnership of equals, fostering long-term growth and sustainable value chains on both continents;

23. Voices its concerns about the withdrawal of the USAID and the scaling down of its programmes, which has created significant financing gaps in essential services; calls on the Commission and the Member States to realign NDICI – Global Europe and Team Europe programming, as well as the future Global Europe initiative, with the instruments’ officially agreed objectives and minimum spending targets for Sub-Saharan Africa and thematic programmes, and to use these instruments to bridge such gaps swiftly where appropriate, prioritising health, gender equality, education, food security and climate adaptation in the most vulnerable African countries; emphasises that the needs-based nature of humanitarian aid requires ring-fenced funding, distinct from other external action financing; calls on the Commission to balance the instruments’ new economic diplomacy focus with the EU’s long-standing treaty-based development and humanitarian objectives;

Investing in women, young people, human development and mobility

24. Stresses that African young people must be at the heart of a renewed EU-Africa partnership; underlines that bringing young people from both continents closer together, through greater mutual understanding and stronger bonds, is essential for a lasting and equal partnership; calls for the significant expansion of programmes such as Erasmus+, through the creation of a political EU-Africa youth exchange programme, Horizon Europe and the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme to reach many more EU and African students and researchers; calls, moreover, for increased support for African universities, vocational institutes and youth-led initiatives to strengthen skills, innovation and exchange;

25. Calls for a dedicated Africa-EU youth innovation fund to finance start-ups and community projects led by young entrepreneurs;

26. Calls for a positive, lucid, realistic and forward-looking approach to migration and mobility; calls therefore on the Commission to launch a safe mobility initiative, setting up one-stop shops in partner countries to streamline access to legal migration pathways, including resettlement, family reunification and labour migration, which includes but should not be limited to talent partnerships and labour mobility schemes, such as the EU Talent Pool initiative, that match skills to labour market needs in both continents; calls for sustainable voluntary return with possible reintegration programmes, effective cooperation on return and readmission, biometric travel document issuance, and border management support; urges the EU and the AU to step up the fight against irregular migration and to better address the root causes of irregular migration by creating jobs, fighting corruption, promoting good governance, the rule of law and education, and supporting climate resilience; recognises the significant burden that the increase in irregular migration, including from Africa, places on Europe; stresses that cooperation on migration must strike a balance between responsibility and solidarity, combining the fight against smuggling and trafficking with the creation of safe and legal mobility channels and full respect for international law and human rights; emphasises that the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, as a structural solution, should be fully implemented and evaluated before transitioning to a new strategy;

27. Calls for the EU and the AU to uphold and promote women’s rights and gender equality, ensure access to education and the fulfilment of sexual and reproductive health and rights, promote women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in decision-making and on the labour market and combat gender-based violence and harmful practices; reiterates that gender equality and women’s empowerment are prerequisites for inclusive growth and sustainable development; calls for the EU to ensure dedicated funding for gender equality programmes in line with its Gender Action Plan III;

28. Emphasises that health security is a shared global challenge and expresses concern that significant budget cuts in the sector threaten to undo decades of progress in global health, putting millions of lives at risk; welcomes EU support for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), vaccine manufacturing hubs in Africa and the African Medicines Agency, and stresses the EU’s vital role in funding lifesaving health programmes, including HIV and AIDs prevention and treatment programmes and sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes; calls for continued cooperation on pandemic preparedness, local pharmaceutical production and universal health coverage;

Climate, the environment and multilateral cooperation

29. Calls for joint progress on the African single electricity market, cross-border interconnections and sustainable urbanisation; calls for the EU to provide its fair share of climate finance for African climate adaptation and mitigation, supporting initiatives such as the Great Green Wall and NaturAfrica that combine environmental protection with jobs and rural development; recognises climate change as a shared challenge and an opportunity for Africa-EU cooperation; welcomes the Africa-Europe Green Energy Initiative to deliver 50 GW of renewable capacity and electricity access for 100 million people by 2030;

30. Calls for stronger AU-EU action and joint advocacy at Conference of the Parties (COP) meetings to secure fair climate finance, technology transfer and funding for the Loss and Damage Fund; stresses that all major emitters, including G20 members, must lead on implementing the Paris Agreement; welcomes Africa’s permanent G20 membership and supports greater African representation in global governance; proposes an annual AU-EU dialogue on climate and sustainability to coordinate policies and track progress;

Way forward

31. Welcomes the seventh EU-AU Summit in Luanda as a significant opportunity for African and European leaders to reaffirm their commitment to the EU-AU partnership; calls on participants to seize this occasion to announce measurable commitments for the next five years, notably through the adoption of a joint action plan 2025-2030, a roadmap to double Africa-EU trade and investment by 2030, an agreement on mutual mobility and visa facilitation for students and researchers, and a renewed joint framework on digital transformation and green energy partnerships;

32. Stresses the importance of strengthening the parliamentary dimension of the Africa-Europe partnership; calls for the organisation of a pre-summit meeting between Members of the European Parliament and members of the Pan-African Parliament to ensure that the voices of elected representatives from both continents help shape the agenda, priorities and outcomes of the upcoming EU-AU summit; underlines that such dialogue would enhance democratic legitimacy, foster mutual understanding and ensure that the summit’s conclusions reflect the concerns and aspirations of citizens across Africa and Europe; stresses also the importance of the meaningful engagement of civil society in the partnership and at summits;

33. Calls on its President to invite African heads of state to address Parliament on a more regular basis, ensuring balanced geographical representation and fostering deeper political dialogue between the two continents;

34. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the President of the European Council, the President of the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the African Union Commission, the Pan-African Parliament, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States and of the African Union member states, and to the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.