The second session of the Fridays of the Commission Conference/Debate for 2010 was held on 22 October at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa whose focus was the Lisbon Treaty and its implications on Africa-EU relations.

Present at the debate was the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mr Erastus Mwencha, African Union Commission Director of Economic Affairs Dr Rene N'guettia Kouassi and representatives from the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), Mr Geert Larporte, Ms Henrike Klavet and Ms Jeske van Seters.

In his introductory statement the Director of Economic Affairs, Dr Kouassi gave a brief history of the Treaty of Lisbon. He also highlighted Africa's relations with the European Union.

The Lisbon Treaty provides the EU with modern institutions and optimized working methods to tackle both efficiently and effectively the challenges in today's world. In a rapidly changing world, Europeans look to the EU to address issues such as globalisation, climatic and demographic changes, security and energy, said Mr Geerte Larporte.

Mr Larporte said the Treaty of Lisbon reinforced Europe's capacity to promote the interests of its citizens on a day-to-day basis. He also made a brief introduction of ECDPM, and highlighted the rapidly changing global landscape, the changing development scene beyond aid.

Ms Klavert addressed the issue of "a more political approach to Africa EU relations in the perspective of the next summit and beyond.

After the presentations, the meeting went into a question and answer session. Apart from the leadership of the AU Commission, participants included members of the Permanent Representatives Committee of the AU, partners and students from institutions of higher learning in Addis Ababa.