South Africa and the EU strengthen partnership and boost trade and investments
“Europe values its partnership with South Africa. And South Africa can count on Europe.” That was the key message to President Cyril Ramaphosa from European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, when he hosted them for the 8th South Africa-EU Summit in Cape Town on 13 March 2025.
The Summit was an opportunity to reaffirm Europe's commitment to its unique partnership with South Africa, strengthen our strategic ties, and tackle global challenges together. It was also a key moment to support South Africa's G20 presidency and prepare for the EU-African Union Summit later this year.
The EU and South Africa agreed to further strengthen trade and investment ties based on shared interests in clean technology and sustainable supply chains. They also expressed their shared and unwavering belief in and commitment to multilateralism, a consistent approach to the rules-based order, and the centrality of the United Nations Charter, as well as to the universality and indivisibility of human rights.
President von der Leyen announced an EU Global Gateway Investment Package with South Africa worth 4.7 billion EUR to boost mutually beneficial investments through grants as well as public and private loans. The investment package is anchored in three building blocks that align with the shared priorities of South Africa and the EU:
Supporting the Just Energy Transition
Strengthening connectivity infrastructure
Strengthening South Africa's vaccine production capacity
This investment package combines investments in infrastructure with support to the enabling environment, such as regulatory strengthening, capacity building, skills development, cooperation on research and development and sustainability standards.
The EU and South Africa have had a strong and positive relationship as international partners since the advent of South Africa's democracy in 1994, based on the shared values of democracy, human rights, equality and sovereignty. The strategic partnership was established in 2007 to boost the bilateral relationship across all sectors.
The EU is South Africa's biggest trading partner and leading foreign investor, accounting for approximately 47% of South Africa's total foreign direct investment. The EU and South Africa also work together in the field of science, technology and innovation (STI) to reach sustainable development goals, through the design of challenge-led STI roadmaps. Total EU funding to South Africa has reached over €3 billion, tackling a range of issues from energy to education, to civil society organisations, to unemployment, to health, to research and development.
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