African Union

The African Union (AU) was founded in 2002 as the successor organization to the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Today, it comprises all 55 states on the African continent and has its headquarters in Addis Ababa. The AU memberships of Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali and Sudan are currently suspended due to military coups and political instability in their respective territories.

As a pan-African organization, the AU's goals include freeing the continent from the last vestiges of apartheid and colonialism, building unity and solidarity among African nations, promoting cooperation and reconstruction assistance, and upholding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states within the framework of the United Nations.

The AU and the EU cooperate intensively in numerous areas. Summits take place at regular intervals both at the level of foreign ministers and heads of state and government. The most recent EU-AU summit took place in Brussels in February 2022, where close cooperation in combating the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic and social consequences was agreed upon. The EU also announced significant investments in Africa's economy and the implementation of numerous benchmark projects.

In February 2023, Azali Assoumami (Comoros) was elected AU Chairperson. The AU-Commission President is Moussa Faki Mahammat.

In January and February 2023, the 36th AU Summit was held in Addis Ababa. The major theme of this meeting was the Pan-African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The debates focused, among other things, on the institutional reform of the AU, the implementation and progress of the AfCFTA, as well as development plans and the evaluation of previous projects.