It’s based on a closer and more equal partnership than the policy adopted in Lisbon 13 years ago.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell says there’s a great deal of work to do before the October EU Africa Summit in Brussels.

Both sides have to put flesh on the bones of their desire to see enhanced cooperation and sustainable development between the 27 European nations and 54 African countries.

Borrell says they are working on embracing green energy, transforming digital technology, sustainable growth and jobs, peace, security and good governance and migration mobility.

The importance of this process is underlined by the reality that Europe’s  $250-billion investment in Africa is five times larger than that of  the US or China.   

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The EU’s agency for fundamental rights calls on countries of the grouping to end this shameful and infuriating phenomenon.

The study is based on interviews with 6 000 people in 12 European countries.

It finds one in three people of African descent experienced racial harassment in the past year.

One in ten has been stoped by police.

Five percent have been victims of police brutality.

Finland is the worst culprit with 60 percent of people surveyed finding racism commonplace.

Britain and Malta fare best with one-fifth of black residents reporting racist behaviour.

The study will be presented to the European Parliament next week which has only three black MPs in its 751-member chamber.

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Yesterday’s  mini EU summit in Brussels on the issue has shown the extent of divisions within the 28-nation grouping over migration.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says he’s happy with the emergency meeting in Brussels where he presented proposals on re-writing the rules on migration into Europe

He’s rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s assertion that with the number of  migrants down 80% from the peak in 2015, there is no longer a crisis.

And he’s brushed off German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s plan to get smaller bilateral and trilateral agreements within the EU grouping on dealing with migration until the issue of first arrival is addressed – taking the pressure off Italy, Spain and Greece.  

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