New era commences with the EU–African summit after 7 years

Dec 08:  A long gap of seven years could not prevent Europe and Africa to come together and set aside their colonial grievances. Leaders from both the Union met today on Saturday with firm decision to forge new strategic partnership at their first summit in seven years, which has been stained by the presence of Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe.

The summit started in Portugal between the leaders of European Union and African leaders with a view to discuss several issues among them the crisis in Zimbabwe and Sudan’s Darfur region is being expected to be on the prime agenda.

Portuguese Prime Minister Joes Socrates, has said the meeting herald a new and equal relationship for the countries.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown owing to the presence of Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe decided not to attend the summit, which was banned from the EU but participating because of the African leaders threatened to boycott the summit. Gordon Brown is strong critical of a Mugabe’s human right records.

Almost all the leaders from the 27-nation European Union and the 53-member African Union gathered on Saturday in Lisbon in Portugal for their first summit in seven years.

Finding its influence shrinking upon the African continent, the fast emerging world’s grand new markets, decided to come closer to Africa that will also foster trade.

Another reason for enhancing mutual relationship is the menace posing by growing Chinese influence there.

Euro-Afro relationship is also significant from Africa’s point of view as the European support will boost them up and raise the continent’s standard of living. It is important to be noted here in this context that around 40 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa still live on less than $1 (70euro cents) a day despite rapid recent economic growth.

"We need to consider this summit as a launch pad for a new era in the relationship between Europe and Africa," EU Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel said this week.

The real significance of this summit must be to lay the foundations of a new partnership based on mutual respect," said John Kufuor, president of Ghana and current chairman of the African Union.

He said meetings like this would help to break and move away from a painful past relationship that included slavery, colonial rule and apartheid. "Europe needs Africa as much as Africa needs Europe.

"Africa and Europe are two neighbouring continents, rich in a complex history. They are today determined to forge a new partnership and give up their sterile relation between the donor of the North and the beneficiary of the South," EU Aid and Development Commissioner Louis Michel said.

The last prime-level summit was held in 2000 in Egypt and now it is being organized after seven years this time in Portugal, said the host country and rotating European Union President that it was a historic mistake not to have had a high-level dialogue between European Union and Africa since then.