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 development cooperation;
• Ensuring the long-term programming and management of development cooperation strategies and programmes aligned to the country’s priorities;
• 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 has been extended to June 2023. A new treaty has been negotiated to replace the current agreement and should enter into force by mid-2023 It will bring the relationship between the EU and its ACP partners into a new era, building on the principle of a partnership of equals, around shared principles and interests. The EU's engagement with Malawi is also part of the wider partnership between the African Union and the European Union, which revolves around the shared priorities of:

• Economic opportunities for youth
• Peace and security
• Mobility and migration
• Cooperation on governance

In 2021 the European Union has launched the Global Gateway, a new European Strategy for the period 2021-2027 to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world. In Africa the Investment Package linked to the Global Gateway will be delivered through Team Europe initiatives: the EU, its Member States and European financial institutions will work together to support concrete and transformational projects jointly identified in priority areas.

The Multi-Annual Indicative Programme (MIP) for the period 2021-2027 translates these wider commitments in a solid partnership with the Government of Malawi; it sets out the joint priority areas for cooperation, based on the national development plan Malawi 2063.  

The MIP has been developed in close consultation with Malawi Government, Civil Society Organisations, including women and youth organisations, local authorities, representatives from the private sector, the United Nations and other partners, and of course EU Member States.

In line with Malawi 2063, the MIP has the broad purpose of supporting the development of an inclusive, wealthy and self-reliant nation, capable of progressing beyond its need for assistance, and thereby improving the lives of all Malawians, consistent with the EU’s strategic interests and values.

The MIP is based on a clear understanding of the EU and Malawi’s mutual interests and responsibilities, reflecting the comprehensiveness and maturity of the relationship.

Future interventions funded by the European Union will fall under the following interlinked priority areas and sectors:

Priority area 1: Green and resilient economic transformation

• Agriculture, forestry and fishing
• General environment protection
• Energy

Priority area 2: Democratic and economic governance

• Government & civil society-general
• Business & Other Services

Priority area 3: Human development and social inclusion

• Education
• Other social infrastructure & services.

In addition, the following are crosscutting priorities of crucial importance for the realisation of the objectives of this MIP:

• Climate action, in line with the European Green Deal and related strategies such as the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Farm to Fork Strategy.
• Gender equality and girls’ and women empowerment, in line with the priorities of the EU’s Gender Action Plan (GAP) III.
• Digital development, in line with the EU's digital strategy and EU’s Digital for Development policy.

The total allocation for the Multiannual Indicative Programme for Malawi covering the period 2021-2027 amounts to EUR 352 million. The financial allocation for 2025-2027 will be determined following a review in 2024.