THE TAOISEACH IS to attend a summit of the European and African unions today in Angola.

Micheál Martin will be in the country’s capital of Luanda as the two blocs mark 25 years of partnership.

It’s understood the summit will also see leaders hold another meeting on Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Ukraine.

The US announcement caught western leaders by surprise, causing them to abandon prior plans at the G20 summit on Saturday and hold a meeting to come up with a counter-proposal.

Today’s summit of the EU and the African Union (AU) will see European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and the president of the European Council António Costa in attendance.

It comes hot on the heels of the G20 summit that was held for the first time on the African continent and which saw leaders agree a statement despite the boycott of the US.

Leaders will focus on strengthening cooperation in areas such as security, migration, trade and green development.

It’s viewed by EU officials as coming at a pivotal time as Angola holds the rotating AU presidency.

The Africa-EU Partnership was formally established in 2000 at the first Africa-EU Summit in Cairo.

While it features less in discussions when compared to the US, Africa is Europe’s closest neighbour and therefore considered a key geopolitical priority for the EU.

From the African side, the EU is the top trading partner of African countries collectively and by far their largest export market, ahead of China, India and the United States.

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