AU-EU Dialogue: Aligning Global Trade with Green Commitments

The Breakfast Briefing was opened by H.E. Moses Vilakati, AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, and by H.E. Javier Niño Pérez, EU Ambassador to the African Union and offered a platform for information sharing and for frank and constructive dialogues.

In his opening remarks, the EU Ambassador that “the European Union, as the biggest trading and development partner with Africa, and is committed to working hand in hand with the African Union and with our African partners to build capacity, strengthen value chains, and ensure that the green transition opens new opportunities for investment, innovation, and decent jobs across our continents.” He further recalled our shared commitment to protect the planet, to fight climate change and to promote sustainable development, and that our prosperity cannot come to the expense of our environment or of future generations.

EU

Presentations were made by senior officials of the European Commission. Monika Henksey, Director for Green Diplomacy and Multilateralism of the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) https://commission.europa.eu/about/departments-and-executive-agencies/environment_en, made a presentation on the EUDR, while Maria Elena Scoppia, Director for Indirect Taxation and Tax Administration of the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/index_en, presented the state of play of CBAM.

Presentations were followed by a short Q&A Session and the breakfast briefing also offered a good networking opportunity for the EU, the AU and their Member States. While differences and the need for further dialogues prevail, we are jointly committed to deepen our cooperation, partnership and investments toward a greener, fairer, and more resilient future.