A videoconference between EU and African Union leaders scheduled for Wednesday was postponed indefinitely just a day before it was due to occur.
A letter dated Tuesday and sent by the African Union Commission to the body’s bureau, reported by Devex, said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the AU’s current chairperson, had “recommended that the AU-EU High-Level Leaders Meetings, to be held on 9 December 2020, be postponed until further notice due to the low level of representation at the Heads of State level.”
An EU official confirmed on Wednesday that the meeting was postponed “because of agenda issues.”
Early Wednesday, the videoconference no longer appeared on the Council meeting calendar, though it did still show up in the agendas of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel.
EU and AU leaders were originally meant to meet for an in-person summit in October, but this was postponed due to the health risks of the coronavirus pandemic, with leaders opting to talk via videoconference instead.
The meeting was scheduled for the day before the crunch December 10-11 European Council summit, at which EU leaders are due to discuss a continuing impasse over the bloc’s €1.82 trillion budget-and-recovery package; end-game negotiations with the U.K. over a post-Brexit trade deal; the response to the coronavirus pandemic; potential sanctions against Turkey; as well as more ambitious targets to fight climate change.
Lili Bayer contributed reporting.