Faced with the absence of the United States from the first G20 summit to be held on the African continent, the leaders of the European Union intend to demonstrate to their interlocutors that they share the same concerns and are partners worthy of trust.
“The EU here to bring a simple a clear message to its partners: we are a predictable, reliable and trustworthy partner,” declared the President of the European Council, António Costa, from Johannesburg on Friday 21 November, on the eve of the annual summit of the world’s 20 largest economies. “We believe in the multilateral system,” he added, adding that “no country can tackle global challenges alone”.
Mr Costa assured the audience that the Europeans shared the priorities of the South African Presidency, namely “solidarity, equality and sustainable development”. And he welcomed the “positive” initiatives aimed at “easing the debt burden that prevents developing countries from investing in their own future”.
Before the summit opened, more than thirty former world leaders joined the call by the Presidents of Brazil and South Africa and the Prime Minister of Spain for the creation of an international panel to tackle global socio-economic inequality.
For Donald Trump, who has practically abolished the activities of the US Aid agency, it is an affront to raise such an issue, as well as the climate question, especially within a multilateral body. Without foundation, he accused South Africa of an alleged ‘white genocide’, imposing customs duties of 30% on Pretoria.
On the eve of the G20 summit, it was impossible to say whether the participating countries would be able to approve a joint declaration, in the absence of any US representative.
If a text is approved, the Europeans hope that language will be found to promote fluid international trade, particularly in critical raw materials, without offending China. As far as climate change is concerned, they do not want any backtracking on the formulas agreed in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024 (see EUROPE 13527/11).
Alongside Mr Costa, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, hoped that the summit would identify “common solutions to common challenges”. She cited the importance: - of maintaining trade based on international rules, in the wake of the signing of a partnership with South Africa (see EUROPE 13756/7); - of continuing the fight against climate disruption; - of understanding the opportunities and risks associated with technological upheaval.
On Friday, Ms von der Leyen and the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, presented the results of a campaign that has raised over €15 billion in investment in renewable energy in Africa (see other news). In 2024, while investment in clean energy reached €2,000 billion, only 2% of this amount was invested in Africa, noted the President of the Commission. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)