Cape Verde–European Union relations

Cape Verde is an island nation, part of the Macaronesian group of islands of the Atlantic Ocean and was a Portuguese colony during the colonial era between 1460 and 1975. EU-Cape Verde relations are founded on the EU/Cape Verde Special Partnership, agreed in 2007, building on six pillars:

• Good governance
• Security/stability
• Regional integration
• Technical and Regulatory Convergence
• Knowledge-based Society
• The fight against poverty, and development.

Following that, an Action Plan for Security and Stability was launched in 2014 and a Mobility Partnership.

Cape Verde is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), an African regional bloc, which aims for internal integration similar to that of the EU. Even though it does not yet participate in all of ECOWAS' activities, Cape Verde cannot have membership in both organizations at the same time. It is also a member of the African Union, an organization aiming for a common currency in Africa, a single defense force for the African continent and an African Union head of state.

In 2016, the Cape Verde government declared its intention to present ECOWAS with proposals for "special status" instead of full membership.

Cape Verde is also one of the beneficiaries of the EU's regional cooperation programme with Portuguese-speaking African countries (PALOP): Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe.