Costa celebrates 50 years of Angola's independence and hopes for a strong partnership with the European Union.

The President of the European Council, António Costa, welcomed the "historic milestone" of Angola's 50th anniversary of independence, which is being celebrated today, and hopes for an "increasingly strong partnership" with the European Union (EU).

"Congratulations to Angola and the Angolan people. 50 years ago, Angola's independence ushered in a new era of hope and possibilities for the African continent, with the end of European colonialism," wrote António Costa on the social network X.

“As we prepare to meet in Luanda for the EU-African Union Summit in November this year, we pay tribute to this historic milestone and celebrate an ever-stronger partnership, based on mutual respect, shared opportunities and a common vision for the next 50 years,” added the former Portuguese Prime Minister.

Around 10,000 guests and 45 foreign delegations are attending the main event today in Luanda, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Angola's independence.

The ceremony, which takes place in Republic Square, includes delegations from all 18 Angolan provinces and foreign representatives, including heads of state, vice-presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers, totaling 45 confirmed international delegations, with approximately 350 accredited journalists also present.

The civic parade will bring together around six thousand participants, followed by a military parade with four thousand members of the Angolan Armed Forces and the National Police, which will conclude with the presentation of the official song for the 50th anniversary.

The ceremony also includes the posthumous awarding of the Medal of Honor to President António Agostinho Neto, who proclaimed national independence and was the first Angolan head of state, as well as President João Lourenço's message to the nation, considered the high point of the celebrations.

Before the main event, the raising of the national flag is scheduled at the Museum of Military History, followed by a tribute at the sarcophagus of the Dr. António Agostinho Neto Memorial, with the presence of João Lourenço and the invited heads of state.

The EU is an important partner for Angola, being the country's largest exporting bloc and second-largest trading partner.

As Europe's closest neighbor, Africa is a geopolitical priority for the EU, which is why the European bloc is its main partner in the areas of energy, peace and security, the green transition, trade and investment, as well as digital transformation.

In 2022, trade in goods and services between the EU and African countries amounted to €504.3 billion.

Following the last European Union-African Union summit held in Brussels in mid-2022, the new high-level meeting will take place in Luanda on November 24 and 25.