On 17 and 18 February 2022, the sixth European Union (EU) – African Union (AU) summit took place in Brussels. The leaders announced an Africa-Europe Investment Package of EUR 150 billion.
For two days, EU and AU leaders, as well as the heads of state and government of their respective member states, discussed the foundations for a renewed and deepened AU-EU partnership. The leaders announced an Africa-Europe Investment Package of EUR 150 billion to boost public and private investments in energy, transport and digital infrastructure. The investment package supports the generation of more diversified and sustainable economies.
On 24 February 2022, the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) organised a virtual press briefing to present the results of the summit to the media and general public. Prof. Dr Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Director of DIE, Dr Benedikt Erforth, expert on EU-Africa relations, Dr Niels Keijzer, expert on EU development policy, and Dr Julian Bergmann, expert on EU foreign and security policy, focused on the decisions taken to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package, and the joint commitments to multilateralism. The planned infrastructure investments are to be seen in the context of the German G7 presidency as part of a more comprehensive geopolitical positioning. The same applies to the EU’s engagement in the Sahel and Mali.
