The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Malawi has a number of functions:
- Representing the EU in all its affairs;
- Permanently holding the local EU Presidency;
- Ensuring follow-up of bilateral relations in the areas of political, economic, trade and external assistance cooperation;
- Ensuring the long-term programming and management of aid in cooperation with the Malawi government;
- Promoting the values of the EU and helping to increase visibility, awareness and understanding of the Union.
The EU's engagement with Malawi is part of the wider engagement the EU enjoys with all African, Caribbean and Pacific countries through the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000, which will expire in 2020. Negotiations for the future partnership agreement started in September 2018, and will bring the relationship between the EU and its ACP partners into a new era, building on the idea of a partnership of equals, around shared principles and interests.
The EU's engagement with Malawi is also part of the wider engagement between the African Union and the European Union. The fifth African Union - European Union (AU-EU) summit took place on 29-30 November 2017 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The AU-EU summit brought together EU and African leaders to define the future direction for cooperation between the two continents. Together they adopted a joint declaration outlining common priorities for the EU-Africa partnership in four strategic areas:
- Economic opportunities for Youth
- Peace and Security
- Mobility and Migration
- Gooperation on Governance
At country level, I am committed to dialogue on these priorities with the government of H.E. A.P. Mutharika and to implement the priorities identified through our bilateral cooperation. The Malawi National Indicative Programme for the period 2014-2020 is aligned to the Malawi National Development priorities as outlined in Malawi's Growth and Development Strategy III, as well as our joint international commitments, such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
EU assistance under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) covering the period 2015-2020 focuses on three main sectors:
- Governance
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Secondary Education and Vocational Training
The total amount of the allocation for Malawi for the period 2015-2020 is € 560 Million, out of which close to € 400 Million are already under implementation, with major programmes like Chilungamo, Kulima, Afikepo or the social protection programme SoSuRe.
In addition to the envelope under the bilateral allocation for Malawi, the EU Delegation is also managing the EU grant contribution to important infrastructure projects co-financed with Financial Institutions like the European Investment Bank. Such projects include for instance the rehabilitation of a number of northern segments of the M1 road or the Malawi-Moçambique energy interconnector.
