BY TANDZILE DLAMINI
EZULWINI — European Parliament Co President Hilde Vautmans on Tuesday , 12 May 2026, called for a deeper political and economic alliance between Africa and Europe, warning that wars, instability and growing competition over Africa’s critical minerals threaten both continents unless they work together.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Palazzo Convention Centre in Ezulwini ahead of the first Africa EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Vautmans said about 150 parliamentarians from 40 African and European countries had gathered in Eswatini under the Samoa Agreement to tackle global challenges through cooperation.
“What happens in Africa affects Europe, and what happens in Europe affects Africa,” she said. “Our destinies are already connected.
She described the Assembly as more than a diplomatic gathering, saying it comes at a time when the world is facing armed conflicts, economic instability, rising food prices, climate emergencies and weakening trust in international cooperation.
A major focus of the talks is peace and the management of critical minerals, resources increasingly linked to geopolitical tensions and conflict across Africa. Vautmans revealed that African and European lawmakers had agreed to establish a working group on critical minerals over the next year to develop common rules for the raw materials market. “We all know that too often these resources have been the root of serious conflicts,” she said.
Her remarks come as violence continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan and the Sahel, regions that remain central to global security and mineral supply concerns. Vautmans stressed that African conflicts should not be viewed as distant crises affecting only one region.
“We cannot pretend these crises belong only to one part of the world,” she said. “Instability in one neighbouring region quickly becomes instability everywhere.”
She also sought to redefine Europe’s relationship with Africa, insisting Europe wanted to speak “with Africa, not about Africa.”
Beyond peace and minerals, the Assembly is discussing trade, youth mobility, education, women’s rights and investment cooperation. Vautmans highlighted programmes such as Erasmus Plus as important tools for connecting African and European youth.
She described the partnership between the two continents as one that should be built on trust and mutual prosperity, adding that the meeting in Eswatini must produce concrete action rather than declarations. “It cannot remain words on paper,” she said. “It must become political action.”
