Brussels, 18/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 18 July, the South African president, Jacob Zuma, said there had been fruitful talk at the sixth EU-South Africa Summit, which had just ended in Pretoria.
The participants said they wanted to consolidate their strategic partnership to tackle youth unemployment and restore economic growth. The president of the European Commission, Jose Manual Barroso, said that Europe now sees the light at the end of the tunnel, but the risks had not gone away and there was no alternative to continuing with structural reforms. The EU is South Africa's leading trading partner and the country's biggest foreign investor, accounting for nearly 75% of FDI. We intend to maintain this position, said Barroso.
The high point of the summit was the signature of an agreement between EURATOM and South Africa on the civilian use of nuclear material. No date was given for the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and the South African Development Community (SADC), which is proving tricky to finalise but the EU' customs arrangements for southern African countries run out on 1 October 2014 (see EUROPE 10890). Barroso said that the focus should be on recent progress rather than a deadline.
Another controversial issue is the discovery of the black spot disease on fruit from South Africa. The South African president urged the EU to not introduce export restrictions. The two sides will continue talks to introduce a flexible system and scientific cooperation.
The president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said that the EU and South African shared a common vision on a number of global issues. The EU re-stated its support for SADC in managing the political crisis in Zimbabwe, and is calling for free and transparent elections, in exchange for which it promises to normalise relations with Zimbabwe. South Africa and the EU called for an immediate end to violence in Egypt and the setting up of dialogue involving all political movements (see related article).
The summit was held on the 95th birthday of former South African president Nelson Mandela, who is in hospital. Barroso said Mandela was loved by the South African people and the whole world, hailing his commitment to freedom and democracy in South Africa. (LM/transl.fl)