Addis Ababa: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).
According to Ethiopian News Agency, the gathering provides a key platform for dialogue on shared partnership priorities and strengthens coordination on matters of common interest. It aims to advance 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.
The meeting focuses on thematic topics of multilateralism and prosperity, in line with the commitments made in Luanda. Senior officials are set to adopt an implementation plan with concrete deliverables for expanding partnerships in fields such as peace and security, multilateralism, trade and economic development, climate action, food security, and digital and AI development and governance.
This plan is designed to facilitate the delivery of the Joint Vision for 2030 and related frameworks, including Agenda 2063 and the Global Gateway. The meeting follows a series of engagements and negotiations aimed at transforming the Luanda Summit outcomes into results-oriented actions that yield tangible benefits for the peoples of Africa and Europe.
Ethiopia, represented by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as AU Champion for AI and digital health, delivered the common position of the AU side on digital and AI governance and development. Ambassador Lemlem Fiseha outlined priorities such as integrating AI and digitalisation into AU Member States' policy priorities, achieving universal digital literacy, enhancing cyber infrastructure investment, fostering a conducive ecosystem for digital start-ups, and promoting inclusivity in African languages while managing AI's negative impacts.
Ambassador Meles Alem, Director General for European and American Affairs, highlighted potential areas for expanding AU-EU partnership in trade, energy development, and the manufacturing sector. He urged the EU to address challenges in implementing the Everything but Arms preferential trade initiative, including lifting the Deforestation Free Regulation and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which adversely affect African producers of cocoa, coffee, and related strategic commodities. Additionally, Ambassador Meles invited the EU to invest concretely in projects under AU-PIDA in the energy sector.
