The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, will co-chair the 16th Ministerial Political Dialogue between South Africa and the European Union (EU) on Wednesday, 19 February 2025, in Cape Town.
Lamola will be joined by Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission.
Lamola will also be accompanied by various Cabinet Ministers from South Africa.
“South Africa and the EU enjoy a strategic relationship characterised by multi-dimensional bilateral cooperation, which is long-standing and mutually beneficial,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIrCO) said in a statement.
Diplomatic relations between South Africa and the EU were officially established in December 1993, just before the onset of South Africa's new democratic era.
In 1999, the Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA) was established to create a framework for strengthening and diversifying bilateral cooperation.
This has been achieved through enhanced political dialogue, collaboration in trade and trade-related areas, economic cooperation, technical assistance and development cooperation.
“The TDCA also established a political dialogue between South Africa and the EU at the Ministerial level, serving as a mechanism to review progress on various areas of bilateral cooperation and discuss enhancing cooperation on regional and global developments of mutual interest.”
To date, the department has reported that seven summit meetings have taken place since 2007, with the next one scheduled for 13 March 2025.
The 16th MPD meeting is therefore well-timed to prepare for the upcoming eighth summit meeting, which will be hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa. – SAnews.gov.za
