EU says slavery inflicted 'untold suffering', hints at reparations

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves speaks during a press conference at the summit between European Union leaders and leaders of the CELAC group of Latin American and Caribbean states, in Brussels, Belgium July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron

(Reuters) - The European Union (EU) said on Tuesday that Europe's slave-trading past inflicted "untold suffering" on millions of people and hinted at the need for reparations for what it described as a "crime against humanity".

From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported by mostly European ships and sold into slavery. Almost half were taken by Portugal to Brazil.