Europe Day 2026 in Eswatini: ‘EU committed to remain a reliable and predictable partner’

EU Ambassador to Eswatini, Karsten Mecklenburg, said this on 08 May 2026 on the occasion of Europe Day 2026 commemorated at House on Fire in Malkerns.

In attendance during this colourful event were the representative of His Majesty King Mswati III, Prince Gcina, Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentarians, civil society organisations and many other stakeholders.

EU in Eswatini

In his speech, the Ambassador said the EU, as a reliable and predictable partner, defends and promotes a rules-based international order in the mutual interest of all - big and small countries and their citizens and not the law of the strongest. In addition, he said the EU strongly defends the role of multilateral institutions, international law and cooperation.

"At the same we are of course not naïve and we are aware that the world is changing rapidly and is becoming fragmented. International cooperation has in many aspects again turned into competition or even war. Common global challenges, including climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) appear to lose attention," said the Ambassador.

EU in Eswatini

He added: "However, as the global challenges grow, so does our determination to remain a reliable consistent, predictable and principled partner. We are a partner for prosperity, committed to open economies and rules-based trade that contribute to sustainable development. We are also a partner to promote mutual economic resilience and security because lasting security depends on shared prosperity and cooperation."

The Ambassador said this was the reason why the EU was this year celebrating 50 years of partnership with the Kingdom of Eswatini.

He said over the last 50 years, the EU, as a reliable and committed partner for Eswatini, has contributed billions of Emalangeni to help the Kingdom improve access to clean and potable water, electricity, free primary education, health including access to vaccines, sustainable and climate-smart agriculture, infrastructure development such as roads and bridges, strengthening of governance, democracy and human rights, social protection, disaster risk management, institutional capacity building and trade facilitation.

EU in Eswatini

To celebrate this milestone, the Ambassador said, the EU has produced short videos of testimonials from 50 Emaswati beneficiaries as well a booklet containing images and the testimonials.

"The question is why have we done this? The answer is that we have thought that, instead of getting into numbers and lengthy project lists, the most convincing way of telling the story of our 50-year impact on the lives of Emaswati, their communities, businesses and families was perhaps through the short videos and the commemorative booklet," said the Ambassador.

He then congratulated Eswatini for taking up a very active role at the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), including the hosting, in Ezulwini on 11 - 13 May 2026, of the 1^st session of the Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly under the Samoa Agreement, which brings together 79 Member States of the OACPS and the 27 EU Member States.

The Ambassador paid tribute to His Majesty King Mswati III and the government of Eswatini on their firm commitment to the OACPS.

During the event, the EU also showcased, through a Photo Exhibition, of EU-Eswatini cooperation over the last 50 years.

The Photo Exhibition attracted the interest of many attendees.