Twenty-five years after the first Africa-Europe summit in Cairo, the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) are retooling their partnership for a more unpredictable world. At the AU-EU Summit on 24 and 25 November 2025 in Luanda, leaders set a clear tone: less rhetoric, delivery built on co-ownership, trust based on shared accountability. For Europe, a dynamic, diversifying Africa offers a nearby growth partner, stronger supply chains and access to a rising market of talent and demand. Marie Hourtoule reports from Luanda on a partnership focused on industrial transformation, how innovation financial will reduce capital costs, and Angola’s growing regional leadership.
The Pact for the Mediterranean exemplifies a partnership of equals, using shared geography to turn common challenges such as energy, connectivity and security into common solutions. The priority now is execution: align financing with local priorities, simplify rules without weakening ambition, and measure outcomes so citizens see real benefits on the ground. This supplement brings together policymakers and industry leaders from both regions to explore how renewed cooperation can unlock shared prosperity. Whether through clean energy, trade, or mobility, one message runs through these pages: Europe and Africa move fastest when they both plan and deliver together.