The SA-EU Strategic Partnership Summit: Correcting the Compass Needle

The briefing examines the first EU-South Africa summit since 2013, highlighting the importance of attracting foreign direct investment and leveraging the EU's External Investment Plan. It notes that while the EU is South Africa's largest investment partner and a primary destination for manufactured exports, the partnership has struggled due to internal crises in both regions. The agenda includes economic cooperation, sustainable energy, multilateralism, and climate change.

• The EU-South Africa summit is the first of its kind since 2013, despite the partnership's goal of annual engagements. The gap was caused by internal issues: South Africa faced 'state capture', while the EU dealt with the euro crisis, migration, and Brexit.
• Economic cooperation is a primary priority for South Africa, as President Ramaphosa seeks R1 trillion in investment over five years. The EU is currently South Africa's largest investment partner, with over 2,000 companies employing more than 300,000 people.
• The EU's External Investment Plan for Africa aims to leverage over €44 billion in investments by 2020, with a €4.1 billion contribution from the European Commission. Priority sectors include sustainable energy, connectivity, SME financing, sustainable agriculture, and digitalization.
• Trade between the two is governed by the SADC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the only regionally implemented EPA in Africa. The EU is the destination for the highest number of South African manufactured exports.
• Both parties advocate for the reform of multilateral institutions to maintain peace and development, particularly as South Africa prepares for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in 2019.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2018). The SA-EU Strategic Partnership Summit: Correcting the Compass Needle. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-sa-eu-strategic-partnership-summit-correcting-the-compass-needle/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. The SA-EU Strategic Partnership Summit: Correcting the Compass Needle. 2018. https://saiia.org.za/research/the-sa-eu-strategic-partnership-summit-correcting-the-compass-needle/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=The SA-EU Strategic Partnership Summit: Correcting the Compass Needle |date=14 November 2018 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/the-sa-eu-strategic-partnership-summit-correcting-the-compass-needle/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2018saeu, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{The SA-EU Strategic Partnership Summit: Correcting the Compass Needle}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2018}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/the-sa-eu-strategic-partnership-summit-correcting-the-compass-needle/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }