Overview
- EU and African Union heads opened a two‑day summit in Angola focused on trade, migration and security alongside securing access to strategic raw materials.
- The EU spotlighted its Global Gateway investments, with roughly €150 billion pledged for 2021–2027, and promoted the Lobito Corridor to speed copper and cobalt exports from the DRC and a planned extension to Zambia.
- Brussels frames Lobito as cutting transport times from about 45 days to roughly one week and supporting local processing, though think‑tank analysis cites sparse current traffic and uneven infrastructure.
- Critics warn governance risks in Angola and extractive dynamics could limit public benefits, reinforcing AU calls to move from announcements to implementable, verifiable projects.
- Germany’s Friedrich Merz emphasized crises in Sudan and the Sahel and backed two permanent African seats on the UN Security Council, as the EU seeks to maintain its €467 billion trade relationship and reduce reliance on China for critical inputs.