AU-EU Senior Officials Meeting Opens in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, November 4, 2026 (ENA)— Senior officials from the African Union and European Union Commission and Member States convened today at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the AU-EU Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM).

The gathering provides a key platform for dialogue on shared partnership priorities and strengthens coordination on matters of common interest. It advances the outcomes of the 7th AU-EU Summit held in Luanda in November 2025 under the theme of promoting peace and prosperity through effective multilateralism.

In line with the Luanda commitments, the meeting will focus on thematic topics of multilateralism and prosperity.

Senior officials will adopt an implementation plan with concrete deliverables in expanding partnership in the fields of peace and security, strengthening multilateralism, trade and economic development, climate action, food security, digital and AI development and governance. 

The plan enables the delivery of the Joint Vision for 2030 and related frameworks, including Agenda 2063 and the Global Gateway. 

The meeting followed series of engagements and negotiations on steps to realize the Luanda Summit outcomes into concrete, results-oriented actions that deliver tangible benefits for the mutual benefit of peoples of Africa and Europe.

Ethiopia delivered the common position of the AU side on digital and AI governance and development in the capacity of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as AU Champion for AI and digital health. 

In the Statement, Ambassador Lemlem Fiseha outlined the Champion’s priorities including bringing AI and digitalisation into the policy priorities of AU Member States, realising universal digital literacy, enhancing investment in cyber infrastructure, fostering conducive ecosystem for digital start-ups, and promoting inclusivity on African languages, building capability to manage the negative impacts of AI.

Represented by Ambassador Meles Alem, Director General for European and American Affairs, Ethiopia highlighted potential areas to expand AU-EU partnership in the field of trade, energy development and the manufacturing sector. 

He called on the EU to address challenges in the implementation of the EU’s Everything but Arms preferential trade initiative, including by lifting the Deforestation Free Regulation and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which is causing serious impact on African producers of cocoa, coffee, and related strategic commodities.  In the energy sector Ambassador Meles invited the EU to make concrete investment on projects contained in AU-PIDA.