On the occasion of the summit meeting of the African Union (AU) and the European Union in Luanda (Angola), which begins today, Germanwatch and Misereor are calling on the heads of state and government of both continents to enshrine climate protection, energy transition and global justice as guiding principles of a renewed partnership. While the global community looks ahead to the resolutions of the COP 30 Climate Change Conference, the AU-EU summit threatens to largely ignore the climate crisis.

"It is alarming that the AU-EU summit's plans to date have largely ignored the urgency of the climate crisis," says Kerstin Opfer, energy policy and civil society advisor in Africa at Germanwatch. "Africa and Europe face common challenges - from the just, climate-friendly transformation of their economies to dealing with the growing consequences of the climate crisis. If the African and European Union want this summit to set the course for the future of their partnership, they must put climate action, equity and access to renewable energy for all at the centre - not as a side issue, but as a political priority."

Building on the COP 30

The AU-EU summit must build on the momentum of COP30. The discussion initiated at the Conference of the Parties to develop a joint roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels within two years should now be taken up: "Climate justice must not remain lip service," emphasises Opfer. "The summit should develop concrete strategies for fair and socially just implementation on both continents.Together, the EU and AU can form a powerful coalition that will resolutely drive forward the phase-out of fossil fuels. Due to their historical responsibility, European countries in particular are called upon to take major steps forward. At the same time, the EU must effectively support African countries in their transition to renewable energies. As renewables are the most cost-effective form of power generation today, the African continent has the potential - with the appropriate financial and technological support - to leap directly into the new energy age without the diversions via fossil fuel infrastructure, just as smartphones once did."

Advancing Africa's energy transition

"In addition to phasing out fossil fuels, access to and expansion of renewable energy for all people in Africa is a top priority in terms of the global development agenda - also to avoid further entrenching dependencies on coal, oil and gas," warns Madeleine Wörner, Climate and Energy Policy Officer at Misereor. "Above all, this requires the right detox strategy: the way out of fossil fuels is through solar, wind and small hydropower. A significant boost with structural, technical and political means is essential for African countries to achieve their goal of building a capacity of 300 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030. The instruments are on the table and it will be a question of prioritisation whether they are used at the summit."

With partnership out of fossil dependency

In addition to a stringent energy policy, robust financing is crucial to overcoming fossil fuel dependency. Wörner adds: "A successful AU-EU summit must also be measured by the funds made available for adaptation and climate protection. An enabling partnership between the African Union and the European Union requires binding financial commitments to accompany the path to renewable energies and open up development prospects."

Civil society calls for participation and transparency

Germanwatch and Misereor also criticise the fact that civil society has hardly been involved in the preparations for the summit to date. "Without transparent and inclusive processes, no fair decisions can be made at the summit," continued Wörner.