The eighth summit between the leaders of the EU and South Africa will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, on 13th March.
The President of the European Council, António Costa, together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will represent the EU. South Africa will be represented by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The summit is an opportunity to intensify the EU’s partnership with South Africa, which is a strategic partner for the EU in a challenging context of rising populism and geopolitical instability, - European Commission's statement reads.
South Africa is EU’s largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, and the EU is South Africa’s first trade and investment partner.
The leaders will discuss the EU-South Africa bilateral relations, focusing on how to further cooperation on trade and investment,
the green and digital transitions, security and defence, energy,
research and development, critical raw materials, skills and education.
They are also expected to tackle the most pressing global and regional issues, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, the current escalation of violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the situation in Sudan and South Sudan.
The leaders are expected to issue a joint statement at the end of the summit.
EU-South Africa relations
The EU-South Africa strategic partnership has been in place since 2007.
High-level meetings are held regularly, including over 20 different sectoral dialogues, an annual human rights dialogue, ministerial political dialogues and the joint cooperation council (JCC).
The 16th session of the EU-South Africa JCC was held in Brussels on 15 January 2025 and the 16th the ministerial political dialogue held in Cape Town on 19 February were important steps in the preparations for the upcoming eighth EU-South Africa summit.
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At least 29 students were killed and more than 250 injured in a stampede at Barthelemy Boganda High School in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, authorities confirmed Thursday.
China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun has urged member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to push back collectively against what he called “hegemonic behaviour”, as defence ministers met for their annual summit in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao.
European Union leaders renewed economic sanctions on Russia for another six months on Thursday and reviewed the latest U.S. trade proposals during a summit in Brussels.
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Washington signed a trade agreement with China the previous day, though no details of the deal have been made public.
Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
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China has unveiled a mosquito-sized bionic drone designed for covert military operations and battlefield reconnaissance, marking a major advance in micro-robotics and stealth technology as part of the country’s growing focus on next-generation warfare capabilities.
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Türkiye has thrown its full support behind NATO’s new pledge to raise collective defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, with Ankara confirming it is already surpassing the previous 2% benchmark and accelerating efforts to bolster national and regional security.
The United Kingdom has withdrawn its support for a major renewable energy project that aimed to supply power from Morocco to Britain through underwater cables, citing concerns over security and delivery risks.
At least 29 students were killed and more than 250 injured in a stampede at Barthelemy Boganda High School in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, authorities confirmed Thursday.
China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun has urged member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to push back collectively against what he called “hegemonic behaviour”, as defence ministers met for their annual summit in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao.
Greek firefighters are battling a large wildfire south of Athens as the country faces its first major heat wave of the summer, with temperatures nearing 40°C and strong winds fuelling the flames.
At least 29 students were killed and more than 250 injured in a stampede at Barthelemy Boganda High School in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, authorities confirmed Thursday.
China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun has urged member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to push back collectively against what he called “hegemonic behaviour”, as defence ministers met for their annual summit in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao.
European Union leaders renewed economic sanctions on Russia for another six months on Thursday and reviewed the latest U.S. trade proposals during a summit in Brussels.
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Washington signed a trade agreement with China the previous day, though no details of the deal have been made public.
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