EESC President

On 17 July, the President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Oliver Röpke signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the  African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), represented by Presiding ECOSOCC Officer Khalid Boudali. The memorandum strengthens cooperation between the EU and Afriican Union civil societies on promoting economic and social development, enhancing civil society engagement, and fostering sustainable development, reaffirming the African Union’s strategic partnership with EU and promoting renewed democratic dialogue.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the African Union ECOSOCC, President Röpke led a delegation of EESC Members (workers and civil society organisation groups) as well as Vice-President Laurentiu Plosceanu to Ghana, to meet with high representatives of the African Union ECOSOCC. President Röpke reiterated the EU's commitment to enhancing the strategic partnership with the African Union supporting the initiative for a shared commitment to promote the values of democracy, inclusive dialogue, and sustainable development.

Röpke said: "Through this MoU, we underline our commitment to enhance civil society participation in the Africa-EU partnership, fostering the setting-up of a permanent, inclusive and representative mechanism for such engagement. It is a testament of our shared commitment to promoting the values of democracy, inclusive dialogue, and sustainable development. With 1.3 billion people, the African Union and its ECOSOC is by all means amongst our largest partners and we are glad to invest further in our joint future."

A commitment to stronger partnership between the two institutions

The relationship between the EU and Africa faces numerous challenges, such as the growing insecurity and high-intensity conflicts. However, civil society remains a key factor in maintaining focus on the common challenges we must resolve together, giving the possibility to citizens to express their opinions and concretely contribute to the decision-making process.

The Memorandum of Understanding aims to not only establish stronger cooperation between the two institutions but to also enhance the important economic and social stakeholder involvement in the Africa-EU partnership.It sets out a comprehensive set of actions for both institutions to foster regular meetings and exchange of information on respective work programmes, organisation of joint events and elaboration of joint contributions to relevant EU-AU events.

On the same day, the President delivered a speech on the occasion of the Gala event celebrating the 20 years of the African Union ECOSOCC, organised in the margins of the AU mid-year coordination meeting. In his speech, the President stressed that the African Union ECOSOCC is considered a sister organisation to the EESC, with both institutions being of paramount importance in bridging the gap between the people and their leaders, by ensuring that the concerns, hopes, and aspirations of citizens are reflected in policy-making processes.

During the Gala event, the EESC was also honoured with a token of appreciation from the African Union ECOSOCC, celebrating the strengthened partnership. This award reflects our dedication and collaborative efforts to ensure that civil society's voices are heard, and serves as a powerful reminder that by working together, we are stronger.

Background

The AU ECOSOCC is the natural partner of the EESC in Africa. In March 2023, on the occasion of a meeting of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee, discussions on a MoU between our two institutions started. In July of the same year, in partnership with the AU ECOSOCC, the EESC organised, in Brussels, the 8th Meeting of the EU-Africa Economic and Social Stakeholders' Network devoted to the AU-EU Partnership for a Sustainable Future. In the declaration adopted as a result of this meeting, stakeholders insisted on the importance of civil society participation and called for an inclusive definition of stakeholders, covering all sectors of civil society, economic actors and social partners.

The African Union (AU) Mid-Year Coordination Meeting serves as an annual meeting focused on enhancing coordination and cooperation among the various organs and institutions of the AU, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and member states. The meeting typically involves high-level officials