The adaptation of the EU/South Africa Strategic Partnership in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the reaffirmation of the importance of multilateralism and global solidarity and the preparation of the next African Union/European Union Summit dominated the 14th session of the EU/South Africa political dialogue on Tuesday 14 July.
The videoconference dialogue was chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the South African Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor.
The EU and South Africa expressed concern about the impact of Covid-19 on developing and least developed countries, the majority of which are in Africa, according to a statement by the European External Action Service issued on 15 July.
Both sides also agreed that their cooperation should place greater emphasis on joint evaluation and reporting of results.
They discussed the priorities set for the South African Presidency of the Security Council in December 2020 and stressed the importance of cooperation between the EU, the UN and the AU.
The EU and South Africa support the UN Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire in the framework of Covid-19 and welcomed Security Council Resolution 2532(2020).
For the 6th EU-AU Summit (28-29 October, Brussels), they committed themselves to an ambitious outcome with common strategic priorities.
The EU-AU Summit should advance the three pillars of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental), as well as the peace and governance agenda, in the context of post-Covid-19 recovery and longer-term strategic cooperation.
In the area of trade, both sides recognised in particular the importance of making progress in the negotiations in view of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference.
In view of the economic impact of the pandemic, the South African side stressed the importance of investment to support South Africa’s industrial development objectives. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)