The G8 initiative for a "New Alliance" with partner countries, donors and the private sector in order to boost productivity, domestic and international private sector investments and supporting innovation and technology in Africa, has been supported by the EU.

The initiative on food security launched on 18 of May, the eve of the last G8 Summit, has been welcomed by the European Commission. According to the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva and EU Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, the EU will actively support the New Alliance and ensure that all new initiatives benefit primarily small farmers and women. They also believe that by making donors and the private sector work together, it can help to tackle the root causes of hunger and eradicate hunger. Moreover, in March 2012, the European Court of Auditors concluded that the EU aid for food security in sub-Saharan Africa is mostly effective.

In particular, the "New Alliance to improve Food and nutrition security" gathers together donors, partner countries and the private sector in a joint effort to lift 50 million people out of poverty in the next ten years. It will promote private sector investments in agriculture by improving the business environment and explore ways to reduce risk through providing better legal and administrative conditions for investors.

Among the priorities of the EU within this initiative, the EU intends supporting actions in the area of risk management and agricultural research, such as improved soil and pest management, better seed varieties and nutrition. In addition, food security and agriculture have been identified as priority sectors for EU aid in the EU new development policy "Agenda for Change". The last G8 Summit also took stock of achievements since the G8 Summit in L'Aquila in 2009, where the European Commission improved on its pledge of €3.8 billion by delivering it sooner than originally forecast – over two instead of three years.