EU-Africa Dialogue on Cyber and Digital Diplomacy

The Belgian presidency, in cooperation with the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission, will host the first Informal meeting of EU and African Cyber and Digital Ambassadors, with the ambition to have a Policy Dialogue.

Geopolitical competition over cyber, digital and emerging technologies has increased. The rapid advances in technologies including generative AI accompanied by significant concerns over the potential disruption of society by such technologies have underlined the need for cyber, digital and tech diplomacy as a key foreign policy priority. Facing common challenges in these domains, the EU and Africa need a diplomatic platform for sharing perspectives and generating momentum for global alignment and collaboration.

Digital and cyber policies form an important part of EU's cooperation with Africa. The vision of the future of EU-Africa partnership has been outlined in the 2022 Joint Communication "Towards a Comprehensive Strategy with Africa" and supported by Council Conclusions. Digital transformation and peace as well as security and governance were two of the key areas identified for further cooperation.

The importance of digitalisation for social and economic development has increased the focus of policymakers on providing connectivity and stimulating digital transitions. At the same time, there are threats and vulnerabilities in cyberspace that affect both European and African governments, economies and societies. Digital and cyber issues have moved up in the agendas of national and regional decision makers, and have gained prominence in multilateral fora. The United Nations (UN) have increasingly become a venue for states to debate the use of digital, cyber and technology policies. As negotiations on a UN Global Digital Compact and a UN Cybercrime Convention as well as discussions in the OEWG, including , on the possible establishment of a UN Programme of Action to advance responsible state behaviour in the use of ICTs progress this year, there is a momentum for the EU and Africa to seek convergences also on these matters as their implementation will impact future legislation, policies and frameworks on both continents. Against this background, there is a need for EU and Africa to further increase their cooperation building on shared strategic visions, and to explore new avenues for collaboration to address the challenges and opportunities of the digital age.

Read more about the approach of the European Union to AI