Cape Town: The Cabinet has welcomed the support of the European Union (EU) for South Africa’s positions on global geopolitics and the priorities of its Group of 20 (G20) Presidency. This follows the successful 16th Ministerial Political Dialogue between South Africa and the EU, which took place on 19 February 2025 in Cape Town.
According to South African Government News Agency, Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, emphasized the significance of the dialogue as an opportunity for the EU and South Africa to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, a rules-based international order, and the centrality of the United Nations (UN) Charter. The Minister made these remarks during a post-Cabinet briefing in Cape Town following Wednesday’s meeting.
Ntshavheni highlighted that during the ministerial dialogue, both parties concurred on the necessity of reforming the UN Security Council. There was a mutual recognition of the urgent need to make the council more representative, inclusive, transparent, efficient, democratic, and accountable. The discussions also covered cooperation in multilateral and regional platforms, emphasizing joint efforts to promote human rights, sustainable development, and address climate change.
Furthermore, the dialogue explored opportunities to enhance cooperation on sustainable value chains, focusing on critical raw materials to boost competitiveness, economic security, and decarbonization efforts. Ntshavheni noted that this meeting served as a preparatory platform for the upcoming EU-South Africa Summit, scheduled for 13 March 2025 in South Africa. The summit will focus on improving economic relations, ensuring a just energy transition, addressing security and defense issues, promoting sustainable value chains, and enhancing multilateral cooperation.
The EU stands as South Africa’s top source of foreign direct investment, while South Africa is the EU’s largest trading partner in Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, Ntshavheni mentioned that the meeting underscored the importance of convening the EU-African Union (AU) Ministerial Meeting and Summit in 2025.