Kenya and the European Union (EU) have agreed to elevate their longstanding relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership to deliver greater benefits to the people, President William Ruto has said.
The President noted that the Kenya-EU relationship has yielded immense mutual benefits, but there is still room for deepening cooperation and unlocking greater opportunities for both sides.
He spoke at State House, Nairobi on Thursday morning when he hosted Heads of EU Delegations to African countries.
The meeting, held as Kenya and the EU marked 50 years of diplomatic relations, focused on translating decades of cooperation into mutual and tangible economic, digital and security gains.
“We agreed to elevate our partnership into a comprehensive strategic partnership anchored in multilateralism, international law, democratic governance and sustainable development,” President Ruto said.
Trade featured prominently in the discussions, with the President noting that the EU remains Kenya’s largest export market, accounting for 21 per cent of the country’s global exports.
He explained that focus should shift to full implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), particularly by addressing barriers that continue to constrain smallholder producers.
These include sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, high freight costs and inadequate cold-chain infrastructure.
“We must now translate the Economic Partnership Agreement into tangible benefits,” he said.
