EU and AU Strengthen Partnership on Democracy and Governance

On the International Day of Democracy, European Parliament and Pan-African Parliament members reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening democracy and governance in Africa. The EU attaches great importance to its partnership with the AU, with the 25th anniversary of their alliance approaching in 2025. The European Parliament has a dedicated presence in Addis Ababa to facilitate dialogue and cooperation between the two institutions.

Key Takeaways:

• The EU-EU Summit is scheduled to take place in November 2025, marking the 25th anniversary of the EU-AU partnership.
• The European Parliament has a standing body, the Inter-Parliamentary Delegation for relations with the Pan-African Parliament, dedicated to furthering dialogue and cooperation with the PAP.
• The Pan-African Parliament is a key partner of the EP for cooperation on parliamentary capacity building and parliamentary best practices.
• The EP presence in Addis Ababa has facilitated regular exchanges and consultations between the PAP Bureau and the European Parliament and EU Delegation to the African Union.
• The PAP Bureau has expressed strong interest in reaching out to EU Member State Missions to the AU during future visits.
• The EP, European External Action Service (EEAS), and European Commission (EC) have excellent cooperation, with regular exchanges and mutually reinforcing action between the three institutions.

Statistics:

• 25 years: The number of years since the EU-AU partnership began.
• November 2025: The scheduled date for the EU-EU Summit.
• 2025: The year marking the 25th anniversary of the EU-AU partnership.
• 4: The number of Vice-Presidents in the PAP Bureau.

Sources:

• European Union External Action Service news release
• YouTube video of the European Parliament members' discussion with the PAP