Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Integration Marija Pejčinović Burić 21-22 January 2019 in Brussels attended a ministerial meeting of the EU-African Union (AU).
The meeting, co-chaired by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Rwanda Richard Sezibera, discussed three main themes: political aspects (peace, security and governance), economic aspects (trade and investment), and multilateralism. The ministers took stock of the implementation of the outcome of the 5th AU-EU Summit (Abidjan, 29-30 November 2017), which marked a mile stone in reshaping the relations into an even stronger, mutually beneficial partnership.
Pejčinović Burić underlined the importance of the EU and Africa’s commitment to promoting efficient multilateralism and cooperation in priority areas defined by the Abidjan Declaration.
One of such areas is migration. The EU and Africa have set up a structured dialogue on migration which, alongside the existing mechanisms and in line with the comprehensive approach to migration management, aims at raising cooperation to a higher level.
With the goal of solving the root cause of migration long-term, the EU places special importance on youth empowerment. In that context, Pejčinović Burić attended an informal meeting on mediation and conflict prevention in Africa, with emphasis on youth participation in peace processes. She underlined the importance of an integrated approach by the EU to creating inclusive and sustainable societies, which will offer the African youth the prospect of living, working and actively participating in social processes in their countries.