During his Wednesday speech in Brussels, the U2 frontman called on President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani to encourage close partnerships with African nations.
“We should sit across the table with our African partners, as equals, and take over the world. That's what I'm here to talk about. That is not only for Africa, it is with Africa. It’s a ‘New Partnership.’ Africans are calling for this New Partnership and president Tajani has been very wise to see this as an opportunity,” the musician told reporters.
Bono, who’s the co-founder of ONE, a global campaign against extreme poverty, arrived in Brussels to discuss the European Union’s program in Africa.
“As an artist I think I probably have a role to play in romancing the idea of Europe and seeing it as something warm-blooded. Europe is a thought that needs to become a feeling, and I am, as an artist, in service of that,” Bono said at a briefing after meeting Tajani.
His remarks have caused quite a stir on social media, with many users wondering whether he had done anything for migrants, refugees and the poor:
Others suggested that he loved the EU because his band had moved part of their business from Ireland to the Netherlands, where the tax rate on royalty earnings is lower for artists:
Other users turned to wordplay in an apparent allusion to U2’s famous chartbuster “With or Without You”:
Some, mainly MEPs or youth ambassadors for ONE, took to Twitter to praise the Irish singer for his efforts:
In recent months, Bono made world headlines after he greeted Jimmie Åkesson, the leader of the Sweden Democrats, with a Nazi salute, rambling about the rise of popular right-wing parties in Europe.