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Opening remarks by President von der Leyen at the plenary session of the EU-South Africa Summit

European Commission

Speech
Mar 12, 2025
Cape Town

Thank you very much Mr President, dear Cyril, for the very warm welcome we received here, me and my dear friend António Costa.

It is a pleasure to meet here in Cape Town. South Africa and Europe are united by common passions. By our great literature. By our love of sport. By our beautiful nature, and our excellent wines. But most importantly we are united by shared values and common interests. Both our unions arose from the depths of conflict and suffering. Both had visionary leaders who saw that the path to peace and co-existence was not recrimination but reconciliation. South Africa remains an emblem of hope for the world. As your great writer Albie Sachs put it: 'South Africa gives hope that all societies can heal, unite and emerge stronger.' In the face of an increasingly fractured world, with the return of major wars on both our continents, that message of hope matters more than ever. And the cooperation between South Africa and Europe matters more than ever.

That is why we are here today. To strengthen the already close ties between our nations and our citizens. South Africa has a vital role on the world stage. You are a leading voice of the Global South. We are united by our democratic values. And our shared commitment to unity and diversity. But we also share fundamental interests. From ensuring peace and stability on our continents, to boosting sustainable economic growth and strengthening our supply chains.

This Summit is an important moment to reflect on our relationship. And see how we can strengthen it further. I would like to highlight three important areas. First, trade and investment. Here, you are already our closest partner in Africa, and our only strategic partner on the continent. Every year, there is almost EUR 50 billion in trade between us. And 98% of your exports to the EU are already duty and quota free. But we can and we must go further. Today we are announcing together an investment package to mobilise over EUR 4.7 billion in South Africa. This is in both our interest. It includes funding for the clean energy transition. But also funding to boost vaccine manufacturing. South Africa wants to protect the health of its people, as well as your autonomy and your local industries. We Europeans want to diversify some of our most critical supply chains, and we know that viruses know no borders. This is what I call a true mutual interest.

Second, today we are launching negotiations on the first-ever Clean Trade and Investment Partnership. The rationale is simple. The South African economy is growing in size and complexity. And you have the ambition to create more added value here in the country. Europe understands your potential. Take the clean hydrogen value chain. South Africa has everything to become a global leader: You have clean energy in abundance, from wind to sun. You have raw materials that are critical for electrolysers, including 91% of the world's platinum group metal reserves. And you have a rising industry to produce clean hydrogen and strong export ambitions. European companies are interested in investing here. But they need more incentives. So, the Clean Trade and Investment Partnership can support. Together with private companies, we can unleash investments in clean energy, raw materials and green hydrogen. We can boost local industry with agreements for the future production that gives them certainty. And we can facilitate the trade of made-in-South Africa products to Europe. We want to strengthen and diversify our supply chains. But we want to do it in cooperation with you. We want beneficiation, that is an important value to us. Our model is that we want to support local jobs, local added value and high environmental and labour standards. Because we all know that ultimately, that is the best way for all of us to build more resilient global value chains.

Third, we are enhancing our cooperation on science and technology. South Africa is already the best represented African country in European research programmes. With funding for over 140 innovation projects across South Africa. Last year, over 1,000 South Africans came to study and teach in European universities. And we are now encouraging the exchange of even more students through your Presidential PhD programme. We are stepping up cooperation on research in Artificial Intelligence, climate and health. So the message is very clear: Europe remains open for business and to talented people from around the world.

President Ramaphosa, dear Cyril,

2025 is the vital year for cooperation between South Africa and Europe. As we have heard, we are already working very closely. And of course, we are working closely with you on your Presidency of the G20. And I look forward to returning to Johannesburg in November for the Leader's Summit. In a moment of increased global confrontation and competition, we must strengthen our partnership further. We must work closely together, to ensure the future is built on our shared belief in cooperation and human dignity, in stable relations, we stay together the course. We give predictability and reliability. I thank you very much for receiving us here today. Thank you very much.