Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid spoke at the conference ‘Continental shift? The EU-Africa Summit: opportunities and challenges’ organised by the EPC (European Policy Center) in Brussels on 30 November. He spoke of the forthcoming EU-Africa Summit as offering an opportunity for a “fundamental” change in EU-Africa relations, moving from one of “donor-beneficiary” to one based on an equal trading partnership. Europe has let the memory of its colonial relationship with Africa prevent it from being more “pro-active”. Instead of seeing Africa as a continent of “difficulties”, it must instead see it as a “new frontier”.
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