Leaders from the European Union and the African Union are meeting in Luanda, Angola, on 24–25 November for the seventh AU–EU summit, with security, migration, economic cooperation and development at the top of the agenda.
The gathering coincides with a European Commission decision to release €143 million in additional humanitarian funding for crisis-affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Luanda meeting, co-chaired by Angolan president João Lourenço and European Council president António Costa, marks 25 years of formal partnership between the two blocs, first launched at the Cairo summit in 2000. It is the first AU–EU leaders’ summit since February 2022 in Brussels, when both sides adopted a joint vision for a renewed partnership focused on investment and peace and security cooperation.
According to the Council of the EU, heads of state and government are expected to focus on peace and security, with particular attention to the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea and the Red Sea. They will also review cooperation on migration and mobility, including legal pathways, border management, combating irregular migration and smuggling networks, and arrangements for return and readmission.
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Economic ties form the third pillar of the agenda. The EU remains Africa’s largest trading partner and main destination for African exports. Discussions in Luanda are due to cover trade and investment, access to critical raw materials, energy transition and infrastructure, building on commitments made at the 2022 Brussels summit and in subsequent ministerial meetings. EU and AU representatives are also expected to address digital connectivity, education and skills, as well as cooperation in multilateral forums.
Parallel to the summit, the Commission’s humanitarian arm, DG ECHO, has announced €143 million in new funding for relief operations in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa facing protracted conflict, displacement and food insecurity. The package allocates €2.5 million for the Central African Republic, €8 million for Nigeria, €30 million each for Ethiopia and Somalia, €35 million for South Sudan and €38 million for the Central Sahel – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
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Brussels says the additional money is intended to support food assistance, health care, water and sanitation and other basic services for people affected by violence, climatic shocks and economic disruption. The Commission notes that pressure on humanitarian operations in these countries has increased in 2025, with aid agencies reporting funding gaps and growing needs among displaced communities.
The announcement comes against the background of a wider EU humanitarian budget of €1.9 billion for 2025, of which more than half a billion euro has been earmarked for Africa. Earlier this year the Commission indicated that roughly €510–545 million would be directed to Sub-Saharan Africa and neighbouring regions, reflecting the concentration of conflict and climate-related crises on the continent.
In several of the recipient countries, years of armed conflict, displacement and recurrent drought have left large segments of the population reliant on external assistance. In the Central Sahel, violence by armed groups and pressure on local administrations have contributed to mass displacement and restricted humanitarian access in parts of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Nigeria’s north-east continues to experience attacks linked to Boko Haram and Islamic State affiliates, with civilians facing protection risks and limited access to services.
For African and European leaders in Luanda, these crises form the backdrop to broader discussions about how to manage migration flows and stimulate investment and job creation. AU officials have highlighted the goal of more value-added production in Africa, especially in sectors such as critical minerals and green energy, in order to capture a larger share of the benefits from trade with Europe. EU representatives, for their part, have pointed to planned infrastructure and energy investments under the Global Gateway initiative, while seeking closer cooperation with African partners on return and readmission arrangements for migrants who do not have the right to stay in Europe.
The summit is expected to conclude with a joint declaration setting out agreed priorities for the next phase of the AU–EU partnership. Officials from both sides say follow-up will include work on security and defence cooperation, implementation of infrastructure and energy projects, and continued coordination on humanitarian responses in African crisis zones, including through EU civil protection and humanitarian aid instruments.
