Following President Jean-Claude Juncker’s announcement of a new 'Africa - Europe Alliance for sustainable investment and jobs' during his State of the Union speech in September, the first meeting of the transport task force on aviation takes place today in Brussels. The meeting will focus on current challenges and the role of the sector in enhancing growth and job creation, as part of an ongoing push for closer collaboration between Africa and Europe. Road safety and transport connectivity will be addressed by separate task force meetings to follow.
The EU is supporting the creation of a common African aviation market through exchanges on aviation safety, security and environmental protection. The Alliance aims to deepen the economic and trade relations between the two continents, in order to support further sustainable investment and jobs.
The task force will work for the next six months until June 2019 to provide recommendations on Africa-Europe cooperation in the area of transport and will also promote high-level political support for its proposals.
Whilst Africa accounts for just 5% of the global aviation market, growth can be expected. The EU stands ready to support this growth while also assisting with key challenges such as air traffic management, safety and security and the impact on the environment.
Besides this transport task force, three other task forces have been set up in the areas of agriculture, digital economy and energy to help deliver the goals of the Africa-Europe Alliance.
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Details
- Publication date
- 24 January 2019
- Author
- Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport