Africa and Shipping – A Mutually Benefiting Cooperation
African governments and businesses are important partners of European shipping companies and the region has become one of the most promising global growth markets.
The “blue” economy offers a lot of opportunities, and close cooperation between EU and African institutions and stakeholders is vital. European shipping companies have traditionally had a good, longstanding cooperation with African partners and they have enabled Africa to be connected to world trade.
For African stakeholders, projects with the European counterparts offer employment, prosperity and market development.
European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) will organise an event on 29 November in the European Parliament hosted by MEP Hilde Vautmans. The logistics challenges and opportunities in Africa will be discussed with an impressive number of speakers and panelists. In this event, we will discuss how to ensure mutually benefiting cooperation in the region.
“African governments and businesses are important partners of European shipping companies and close cooperation between EU and African institutions and stakeholders is vital. In view of the EU-Africa summit in 2017, the review of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement (Cotonou agreement) in 2020, and other strategic discussions we think it is timely to exchange with EU policy makers about common opportunities”, commented ECSA Secretary General Patrick Verhoeven.
Speakers at the event include the United Nations Committee on Trade and Development, representatives of the European Commission and the European External Action Service, Members of the European Parliament and several shipping companies.