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Minister Dlamini Zuma to hold talks with EU partners Pretoria
- South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will on Saturday 11
November 2006 depart for Brussels, Belgium where she will hold political, economic
and trade discussions with her European Union counterparts during the 7th Meeting
of the South Africa-European Union (SA-EU) Joint Co-operation Council (JCC), scheduled
for Tuesday 14 November 2006. Minister Dlamini Zuma and her delegation will
participate in the SA-EU JCC within the context of ensuring increased market and
trade access with a view to faster and shared economic growth in South Africa. The
JCC will reflect on trade, development and science and technology co-operation
over the past year, as well as the progress made in the mandatory review of the
Trade, Development and Co-operation Agreement (TDCA) which provides the legal
framework for our current co-operation. The main emphasis of the meeting will
therefore be on laying the groundwork for the full implementation of the TDCA
and agreeing on a roadmap for the midterm review of the TDCA. This JCC will
also seek to achieve agreement on the broad framework for a proposed SA-EU Strategic
Partnership which would involve moving from dialogue and exchanging views to active
strategic co-operation and partnership on regional, continental and global levels. South
Africa and the EU share many common political values and beliefs, making both
countries natural partners to promote development, socio-economic and political
progress, as well as stability, in a globalising world. Both partners strongly
believe in the primacy of the United Nations in advancing global peace and security,
equality, democracy, human rights, good governance, tolerance and respect for
the rule of law. Both countries also share a common vision of an African Continent
which is prosperous, peaceful, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and united,
and which contributes to a world that is just and equitable. South Africa
therefore welcomes the decision by the EU to discuss the broadening and deepening
of relations through a Strategic Partnership based on an open, concrete and transparent
dialogue between the two partners, pursued on the basis of mutual understanding
and ownership. South Africa believes that the Strategic Partnership will build
on our existing relations and will result in a mutually beneficial partnership
that adds value to the EU's relations with South Africa, the Southern African
Development Community (SADC), Africa and the developing world. South Africa
believes that this JCC provides a unique opportunity to discuss the harmonization
of trade regimes between our respective regions. Minister Dlamini Zuma will therefore
lead discussions with her European Union counterparts on coherence between the
TDCA trade review and the SADC-Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiation
process in which South Africa is an active participant. Minister Dlamini
Zuma will also have high level political dialogue with the EU in troika format
led by Erkki Tuomioja, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Louis Michel,
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, and Javier Solana,
Secretary General of the Council Secretariat and EU High Representative on Common
Foreign and Security Policy. Discussions are expected to focus on, among
others, peace and security issues in Africa and the Middle East, and an exchange
of views on the stalled Doha Development Round. Minister Dlamini Zuma will
also use the opportunity to explain South Africa's objectives during its tenure
on the United Nations Security Council. Trade between South Africa and the
EU has grown significantly since the provisional application of the TDCA in January
2000, which creates a free-trade area covering about 90% of bilateral trade implemented
over an asymmetric, transitional period of 12 years. The EU remains South Africa's
largest trade partner accounting for €37 billion worth of trade in 2005,
just under 40% of South Africa's total imports and exports. EU Foreign Direct
Investment into South Africa in 2004 totalled a further €4.6 billion. The
EU has also dedicated grants of €125 million per annum through the European
Programme for Reconstruction and Development. The European Investment Bank (EIB)
has been mandated with €825 million for infrastructure investments in South
Africa from 2000-2006. South Africa hopes that this amount will be substantially
increased to €1.5 billion. Since the conclusion of the SA-EU Science
and Technology Co-operation Agreement in 1996, South Africa has participated in
almost 200 Framework Programme projects, contributing more than R200 million to
South African research and technology and enabling South Africa to access cutting
edge R&D projects worth close to R8 billion. Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa
on 082 990 4853 ℅ Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001 10 November 2006 | 
