President Cyril Ramaphosa met with European Union leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg on Thursday, reaffirming South Africa’s commitment to deepening political and economic ties with the EU.
Ramaphosa held talks with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Sandton Convention Centre.
The meeting builds on outcomes from the South Africa–EU Summit held in Cape Town in March.
The leaders reviewed progress on several initiatives, including the newly signed EU-South Africa Clean Trade and Investment Partnership.
The agreement is expected to drive investment in clean energy and enhance cooperation on decarbonisation.
A second agreement focused on sustainable mineral and metal value chains aims to support local beneficiation and industrial integration.
Both sides welcomed the launch of the South Africa–EU Energy Dialogue and agreed to elevate it to a ministerial level in 2026.
They also discussed expanding trade in animal and plant products and outlined plans to streamline market access processes.
The EU announced five projects under its nearly 12 billion euro Global Gateway Investment Package for South Africa.
These include funding for green hydrogen and electric battery development, as well as a loan to Transnet for transport decarbonisation.
Support for vaccine manufacturing under the Human Development Accelerator initiative was also highlighted.
Other areas of cooperation include peace and security, maritime cooperation, and climate resilience.
The EU expressed support for regional conflict resolution efforts and reaffirmed its commitment to a just peace in Ukraine and the Palestinian Territories.
The leaders pledged to intensify collaboration ahead of the upcoming AU-EU Summit in Angola and looked forward to holding the next South Africa–EU Summit in Brussels.
