AU-EU Senior Officials Meet in Addis Ababa to Advance Partnership

Senior officials from the African Union and the European Union are meeting in Addis Ababa to advance partnership priorities established at the 7th AU-EU Summit in Luanda. The meeting focuses on creating a concrete implementation plan for cooperation in areas including peace, security, trade, climate action, and digital development. Ethiopia presented the AU’s common position on AI and digital governance, emphasizing digital literacy and infrastructure investment. Representing Ethiopia, Ambassador Meles Alem urged the EU to strengthen partnerships in energy and manufacturing. He specifically called on the EU to address trade barriers caused by the Deforestation Free Regulation and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which negatively affect African commodity exports like coffee and cocoa.