The EU-Africa summit, held in December 2007, cemented a new Africa-EU strategic partnership, marking a qualitative leap in relations between the two continents. The Lisbon Treaty further defines the framework to jointly address common concerns and global challenges, such as governance, healthcare, and climate change. Just two months ahead of the forthcoming EU-Africa Summit in November 2010 in Tripoli, European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, will open the Friends of Europe annual policy summit Partnership Africa: New Horizons for EU- and Inter-African Cooperation with a keynote speech, addressing a select audience of development and Africa experts from EU institutions, national governments and agencies of the member states, pan-African institutions and governments of African states, representatives of international organisations, business and industry, civil society, media and press.