EU–COMESA Strategic Political Dialogue Strengthens Cooperation Amid Global Economic and Geopolitical Transformation
Lusaka - Zambia- May 19, 2026 - The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat and the European Union (EU) convened the Second EU–COMESA Strategic Political Dialogue on Tuesday 19 May 2026 at the COMESA Secretariat in Lusaka, Zambia. The high-level engagement brought together senior leadership from both institutions to strengthen strategic exchange, policy coordination, and to align priorities in response to an evolving global and regional landscape.
The Dialogue was officially opened by the Secretary General of COMESA, H.E. Chileshe Kapwepwe, alongside the Ambassador of the European Union to Zambia and COMESA, H.E. Karolina Stasiak, and the Ambassador of the European Union to the African Union, H.E. Javier Niño Pérez. The dialogue reaffirmed the long-standing strategic partnership between COMESA and the European Union, grounded in shared values of multilateralism, economic integration, peace and security, climate and environmental protection and sustainable development.
In her opening remarks, the Secretary General framed the Dialogue within a rapidly shifting global environment marked by significant geopolitical and economic transformation affecting international trade and investment systems.
In this regard, the Secretary General stated:
“We meet today at a time of significant geopolitical and economic transformation globally. Ongoing conflicts, supply chain disruptions, increasing trade fragmentation, rising logistics and energy costs, climate-related shocks, and growing competition for strategic resources continue to reshape global trade and investment patterns. These developments are directly affecting Africa and the COMESA region, including the efficiency of trade corridors, food and energy security, investment flows, and the cost of doing business. Recent disruptions along key maritime routes, including the Red Sea corridor, have once again demonstrated the vulnerability of global supply chains and reinforced the strategic importance of resilient regional integration frameworks and diversified transport and logistics networks.”
The European Union reaffirmed its commitment to cooperation with COMESA under its Global Gateway strategy and broader partnership frameworks. The EU underscored continued support to regional integration priorities, including trade facilitation, infrastructure development, customs modernisation, maritime security, peacebuilding, and institutional capacity strengthening, with over 315M EUR invested in ongoing programmes. Both sides reiterated that the partnership continues to deliver tangible results and remains central to advancing Africa–Europe cooperation.
The Dialogue further emphasised the urgency of accelerating implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), with a focus on strengthening regional value chains to support industrialisation, job creation, and enhanced competitiveness. Participants also highlighted the importance of infrastructure development, trade facilitation reforms, transport corridors, and enhanced regional connectivity as key enablers of economic transformation.
“The African Continental Free Trade Area represents a generational opportunity to reshape Africa’s economic landscape. COMESA, as the continent’s largest Regional Economic Community, is critical to its success. The EU already supports the AfCFTA implementation by harmonising trade rules, reducing non-tariff barriers, strengthening cooperation between Regional Economic Communities, and building the customs and standards capacity that COMESA’s exporters need to compete globally. The Tripartite Free Trade Area must be a catalyst for the AfCFTA, and not a parallel track that fragments rather than unifies”, emphasised Ambassador Stasiak, pointing to COMESA’s role as a building block on the way towards the continental-level integration.
A central point of convergence was the recognition of the interdependence between peace, security, and development. Participants reaffirmed that sustainable economic growth requires stable and secure environments, and that strengthened regional cooperation on peace and security remains fundamental to safeguarding trade, investment, and development outcomes.
“We commend COMESA's growing engagement in conflict prevention and post-conflict recovery across the region. The EU will continue to support regional early warning mechanisms, security sector reform, and the rule of law — because governance and development are, ultimately, inseparable”, said Javier Niño Pérez, EU Ambassador to the African Union.
The Dialogue also provided an opportunity to advance strategic alignment between the COMESA Medium-Term Strategic Plan 2026–2030 and the European Union’s Global Gateway priorities, with both institutions committing to enhanced policy coherence and stronger cooperation in strategic infrastructure, digital transformation, and regional connectivity. Key regional infrastructure initiatives, including the Lobito Corridor, were highlighted as critical enablers of continental integration.
This second edition of the Strategic Political Dialogue, following its inaugural session in August 2024, reaffirmed COMESA’s role as a key regional integration actor and strengthened its position within the broader global development cooperation architecture.