JOINT AU-EU MEDIA ADVISORY

WHAT The 10th African Union (AU)- European Union (EU) Commission-to-Commission Meeting

WHO: The AU delegation will be led by H. E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and the EU delegation will be led by H.E. Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission

WHEN: Thursday, 27th February 2020

TIME: 09:30 – 10:00hr (opening session)

WHERE: Old Plenary Hall, African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

JOURNALISTS ARE INVITED TO COVER THE OPENING CEREMONY. THE GROUP PHOTO WILL TAKE PLACE IN FRONT OF THE NELSON MANDELA HALL, NEW CONFERENCE CENTER.

BACKGROUND:
The AU-EU partnership has steadily grown since the first AU-EU Summit in Cairo in 2000. It is currently framed by the Joint AU-EU Strategy adopted in 2007. Regular Summits at the level of Heads of State or Government are held every three years to define the political priorities.

The College of Commissioners of both the European Commission and the African Union Commission meet regularly to provide political guidance to the AU-EU Partnership. Alternating between the cities of Brussels and Addis Ababa, the meetings aim to be an interactive exchange of expertise and constructive debate on areas of shared interest. In addition, they provide an opportunity to review progress made on the Partnership, to improve cooperation between the two institutions, and to focus on what they can learn from each other with regard to common priorities and challenges.

The last AU-EU Commission-to-Commission meeting took place in Brussels, Belgium, on 23 May 2018. AU and EU Commissioners adopted measures to address pressing global issues in key areas such as peace and security, migration, job creation and agriculture. This new meeting follows the official visit to African Union Headquarters and to Ethiopia by H.E. Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in December 2019.

For further information please contact:
Ms Tankou Azaa Esther Yambou, Head of Division: Directorate of Information and Communication, African Union Commission, Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Tel: +251(0) 911361185, E-mail: YambouE@african-union.org
Ms Iride Boffardi, Communications Team Leader, Delegation of the European Union to the African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Tel: +251(0) 940 529 614 (Iride.BOFFARDI@eeas.europa.eu).
Ms Ana Pisonero, European Commission's Spokesperson for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, international cooperation and development. Tel: +32 460 75 43 20 (Ana.Pisonero-Hernandez@ec.europa.eu).
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.africa I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube