“Our partnership should not be reduced to adopting documents and applauding hard-negotiated consensuses. On the contrary, it should measure the progress and commend the projects that have been achieved,” said Mr. Nasser Bourita at the second Ministerial preparatory meeting of the 6th AU-EU Summit.

The Minister added that the strategic nature of the Africa-Europe alliance is born of a shared goal to create a place for conversation and cooperation for security, development, and shared prosperity.

The Moroccan Minister, added that the ultimate goal remains the realization of the framework objectives stated in the Cairo Summit Declarations of April 2000 and the Abidjan Summit Declarations of November 2017.

Mr. Nasser Bourita also pointed out that, while the goals are still important, the collective approach needs to be updated. “We’ve chosen three roadmaps since 2000, but how many have we actually implemented?” he queried, adding that collective action is still too slow to provide tangible results.

The Minister stated that the 6th AU-EU Summit, which is set for next year in Brussels, will be an occasion to give new impetus to the Africa-Europe alliance.

He also praised Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta’s suggestion to establish a Ministerial Monitoring and Implementation Committee to ensure tangible outcomes and effective goal implementation.

According to Mr. Nasser Bourita, by finding and developing initiatives that have an influence on daily life, this committee might help make the AU-EU relationship more visible to the populations of both continents, particularly the youth. “Morocco is eager to participate in this committee and hold its first meeting,”.

Mr. Bourita met today, in Kigali the President of Rwanda, Mr. Paul Kagame whom expressed his deep admiration and friendship for His Majesty King Mohammed VI, and Morocco’s numerous accomplishments.

He also talked about Rwanda’s determination to further strengthen the multisectoral cooperation linking Rabat and Kigali.

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The reaction to the Covid-19 outbreak and recovery following the global health catastrophe are being discussed at the second ministerial summit of the African Union (AU) – the European Union (EU), whose preparatory work began today with Morocco’s participation.

High-level officials from the African Union and the European Union’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs called for a strong and united partnership to confront the difficulties posed by the corona virus pandemic during their preliminary meeting.

Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Vice-Chairperson of the African Union Commission and head of the African Union Commission delegation, spoke about the chaos produced by the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessity for a strong Afro-European relationship to face common concerns in a speech.

“The world as we know it has altered quickly, with far-reaching ramifications that we are still trying to identify,” Nsanzabaganwa said, urging for increased cooperation between the African Union and the European Union to speed up the continent’s post-Covid growth.

“Africa needs all the essential support from its closest partners and allies to recover and rebuild itself better,” she said, referring to the epidemic’s catastrophic impacts.

According to Rita Laranjinha, Director-General of the European External Action Service, Europe and Africa must collaborate more closely on a variety of topics in order for both continents to have a brighter future.

“Africa and Europe share a common obligation to improve the global agenda,” she added, noting that the second AU-EU ministerial meeting was an essential step toward the sixth EU-AU summit, which will take place in Brussels in early 2022.

Ministers from Europe and Africa, according to Ms. Laranjinha, must identify the most essential priorities, perspectives, and common concerns to include on the agenda.

Participants at the second AU-EU ministerial conference will look at methods to build resilience and increase investments in digital and ecological transformation, in addition to the theme of the COVID-19 response. The second African Union-European Union ministerial conference, which will end in a joint declaration, will bring together around 500 participants, including more than 60 foreign ministers from the African Union and the European Union.

Morocco was represented at this preparatory meeting by a delegation that included Omar Amghar, Director of the European Union and Mediterranean Series, Radwan Dghoughi, Chief of the Regional Partnerships Section of the Greater Morocco Directorate and the African Maghreb Union Affairs, Mohamed El Atlassi, and the Political Adviser of the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom in Addis Ababa, Yassine Ghouane.

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