State Minister Semereta, EU Commissioner Síkela Discuss Strengthening Strategic Partnership

Addis Ababa, July 16, 2026 (ENA) —State Minister of Finance Semereta Sewasew and European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela held talks on expanding the Ethiopia-European Union strategic partnership, with discussions focusing on trade, investment, development finance, and sustainable economic transformation.

According to the social media post, during the meeting, State Minister Semereta expressed Ethiopia's appreciation for the European Union's recent budget support agreement, describing it as a strong vote of confidence in the country's ongoing reform agenda and its commitment to supporting macroeconomic stability, sustainable growth, and improved development outcomes.

She highlighted Ethiopia's continued efforts to strengthen economic governance and public financial management through reforms aimed at enhancing budget credibility, transparency, accountability, and public investment management, while creating a more predictable environment for development partners and investors.

The two sides agreed that Ethiopia-EU relations are evolving into a broader strategic partnership driven by stronger economic cooperation, increased trade, investment promotion, and private sector engagement.

Semereta said Ethiopia is seeking to attract greater European investment in priority sectors, including renewable energy, manufacturing, agro-processing, logistics, digital transformation, and industrial development.

The discussions also explored opportunities to align Ethiopia's investment priorities with the European Union's Global Gateway strategy by leveraging blended finance, guarantees, and partnerships with European companies and financial institutions to mobilize greater private sector investment.

The State Minister highlighted the strategic importance of the Bishoftu International Airport project, describing it as a transformative investment that will strengthen Ethiopia's regional connectivity, aviation capacity, and logistics network while reinforcing the country's role as a gateway for trade and investment in Africa.

 She invited greater participation from European companies, investors, and technical partners in the implementation and operation of the project.

Semereta also underscored the significance of Ethiopia's coffee sector as a cornerstone of the country's export economy and proposed establishing an Ethiopia-EU Coffee Partnership Platform to promote sustainable, traceable, and value-added coffee supply chains through closer collaboration between governments, investors, financial institutions, and coffee companies.

Regarding the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), she stressed the importance of continued cooperation to ensure sustainability requirements support, rather than hinder, Ethiopia's coffee sector by strengthening traceability systems, supporting smallholder farmers, mobilizing investment, and safeguarding Ethiopian coffee exports to the European market.

The State Minister further briefed Commissioner Síkela on Ethiopia's assumption of the Chairmanship of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), noting that it presents an opportunity to advance stronger Africa-EU cooperation in trade, investment, climate action, sustainable development, and innovative financing.

She also updated the Commissioner on Ethiopia's preparations to host COP32 and invited the European Union to strengthen cooperation on climate finance, green investment, and climate-resilient development initiatives.

The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to further deepening the Ethiopia-European Union strategic partnership and translating their shared vision into concrete initiatives that promote investment, innovation, sustainable economic growth, and shared prosperity.