Remarks by President Ramaphosa at the Joint Press Conference: South Africa - European Union Summit

Your Excellencies, 
Distinguished members of the European Union and South African delegations,
 
It has been an honour to jointly preside over this 8th South Africa-European Union Summit. 
 
Your presence here today reflects our shared commitment to enhancing our Strategic Partnership for the mutual benefit of our people.
 
Today's Summit focused on strengthening our trade and investment relations, which are vital for the growth of our economies and the achievement of our development goals.
 
We have prioritised the transition to green energy, ensuring that this process is just and inclusive and safeguards the livelihoods of those most affected by the transition.
 
We also had discussions on our robust cooperation in education; science, technology and innovation; and health.
 
We have recognised the vital importance of developing the skills and capabilities of young people, starting from early childhood development through to the training of young people in the skills of the future.
 
At the global level, we reaffirmed our commitment to multilateralism, the rule of law and the central role of the United Nations in maintaining global peace and security. 
 
We also expressed our resolve to resist actions that undermine multilateral cooperation.
 
We reinforced our belief that the institutions of global governance must be reformed to make them representative and fit for purpose. 
 
We agreed that addressing the root causes of conflict is essential for achieving durable peace, security and stability in Africa.
 
As South Africa, we have made a call for a humanitarian intervention for displaced people in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 
 
As we work to achieve a ceasefire and achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the DRC, we are calling on the United Nations, African Union and EU to help to address the dire situation of the people affected by the fighting.
 
We have concluded a Joint Declaration that highlights the critical areas of our discussions.
 
We welcome the announcement by the European Union of a Global Gateway Investment Package of 4.7 billion Euros to support strategic investment projects.
 
The investment package covers areas such as critical raw mineral processing, green hydrogen, renewable energy, transport and digital infrastructure, local vaccine and pharmaceutical production, and resources for skills development.
 
To boost the competitiveness of our economies, we agreed to launch negotiations towards a Clean Trade and Investment Partnership.
 
This will support the development of cleaner value chains for raw materials and local beneficiation, renewable and low carbon energy, and clean technology.
 
In addition to mobilising investment, this partnership will also serve as a forum for regulatory cooperation between the European Union and South Africa in areas of mutual interest related to clean supply chains. 
 
This partnership is expected, for example, to deliver short and long term solutions to enable Sasol to export sustainable fuel, especially aviation fuel, to the European Union.
 
We look forward to contributing to the EU-Africa Ministerial and Summit meetings later this year.
 
These meetings are important for advancing the African Agenda and the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy, which supports digitalisation and infrastructure development across Africa.
 
Today’s Summit has further strengthened our Strategic Partnership, which will support our efforts to drive inclusive economic growth, create jobs, eradicate poverty and address global challenges in a spirit of solidarity, collaboration and partnership.
 
On behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, it has been a pleasure to host you today, reaffirming our commitment to building strong, mutually beneficial relations with the European Union.
 
I thank you.