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European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)
News article17 February 2022Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations

Africa-Europe Week: Strengthening cross-continent, people-to-people and business relations between both continents

Africa-Europe Week

In the margins of the 6th European Union - African Union summit on 17 and 18 February 2022, over 10,000 delegates from Europe, Africa and beyond participated in the first Africa-Europe Week, opened by President von der Leyen. 15,000 delegates participated in the 7th EU-Africa Business Forum (EABF), which was hosted in a hybrid format in Brussels and virtually. With over 100 sessions, panel discussions and concerts, this new forum's objective was to strengthen cross-continent people-to-people relations. It provided a space for youth, civil society, cultural actors and the private sector to discuss the aspects of the Africa-Europe partnerships that matter most to them. The results of the discussions, summarised by youth delegates, civil society organisations and the EABF, will be presented to the 6th EU-AU Summit. During her keynote speech on the Youth Day of the Africa Europe Week, Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, highlighted the importance of youth engagement in political discussions: “Young people are not only the future, but the present. That's why we're involving them today in the policies that will shape the world of tomorrow. An EU-Africa Partnership is sustainable only with youth at its core. Youth must be involved in shaping it, and leaders must listen.” The Africa-Europe Week closes today with the concert of MAISHA, a unique Afro-European musical collective that unites 12 talented and acknowledged artists from both continents, a stellar illustration of the people-to-people ties both Africa and Europe share. You can find more detailed information here.

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