Europe-Africa summit: what did it achieve?

European and African leaders wrapped up a joint summit in the Ivory Coast yesterday, vowing to take action on variety of issues plaguing the two continents.

Officials touted the high-level meeting between EU and African Union leaders in Abidjan as the beginning of “a new partnership between equals” that would benefit both parties.

However, much of the rhetoric “comes with a dose of deja vu for long-time observers,” says Politico.

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What was agreed?

The summit was originally scheduled to focus on economic cooperation and youth employment, but was overshadowed by reports of African refugees and migrants being sold at slave auctions in Libya.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara warned that leaders would have to do more than condemn the “disgusting” and “unacceptable” practice.

“The inhumane treatment of migrants challenges us, requiring responses which match our condemnation,” the host said.

By the end of the summit, the leaders of Libya, France, Germany, Chad, Niger and four other countries agreed to attempt “a massive and imminent evacuation” of migrants who are trapped in the camps, the Washington Post reports.

“The plans drafted Wednesday indicate that the first evacuation push will target 3,800 migrants,” most of whom will be returned to their home countries, the newspaper says.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the deal also included a fresh promise from the Libyan government to address the problem, as well as a joint pledge from the EU, AU and UN to freeze the assets of human traffickers and increase support for the International Organisation of Migration.

What was lacking?

Geert Laporte, deputy director of the European Centre for Development Policy Management, said many of the promises made at this year’s summit have been made before.

“I recognise the same hollow wordings of mutual trust and comprehensive partnership,” he told Politico.

Youth groups also claim they were sidelined completely from the conference, the EU Observer reports. A German youth advocacy group, DSW, due to talk at the summit, said young people from both continents were denied the platform they were promised.

“Youth were prevented from speaking - at a summit all about youth! It beggars belief,” a representative said.

The Washington Post argues that the summit’s original focus – boosting economic development in Africa and tackling youth unemployment – is the only real solution to the migration crisis.

“Stopgap measures like evacuations have little to do with [its] underlying causes,” the paper says.