Germany

On 1 July 2020, Germany assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) for a period of six months. In preparation for the EU Council Presidency, the German Government had announced its intention to develop Europe further as a force for solidarity, assuming responsibility for peace and security in the world. In this context, deepening the partnership between Africa and Europe was identified as a key element.

However, a deeper partnership has to be more than a process between governments. It must be built on human relationships and enable dialogue and participation. It should focus on the well-being of people.

For this reason, VENRO invited around 70 organisations from African, European and German civil society to discuss the conditions for the partnership between Africa and Europe as part of its Digital Africa Forum in May 2020. The results of the consultations were summarised in a policy paper that was presented to the German Government and the general public just before the start of the German Presidency.

Globally, the unprecedented corona pandemic has increased public awareness of the structural weaknesses of health care and social welfare systems and the vulnerability of socially and otherwise disadvantaged people. The policy paper therefore calls on the German Government to focus on the following six priorities: global health; participation of all generations; global climate justice; peaceful societies; fair economic and trade relations; and fair digitalisation. In all of these areas, cross-cutting issues such as gender equality and the safeguarding of human rights are of key importance.