N Dlamini Zuma to host South Africa – European Union Ministerial Troika
meeting, 10 Oct

9 October 2007

South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will on Wednesday,
10 October 2007 co-chair the 5th South Africa – European Union (SA-EU)
Ministerial Troika Meeting at the Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria.

The EU Troika will consist of the Foreign Minister of Portugal, Dr Luis
Amado, as the current Presidency-in-Office of the EU, Mr Louis Michel, the EU
Development Commissioner, as well as a representative from the General
Secretariat of the European Council.

Furthermore, the EU delegation will also include Mr Matjaž Šinkovec, State
Secretary in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister of Slovenia, on behalf of the
future EU Presidency.

Minister Dlamini Zuma will co-chair, together with Minister Amado, this
session of the SA-EU Ministerial Troika meeting within the context of South
Africa's priority to strengthen and consolidate the new strategic partnership
between South Africa and the European Union. The Strategic Partnership, which
builds upon the SA-EU Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA),
seeks to improve existing cooperation on issues of mutual interest across a
broad spectrum of bilateral, regional, continental and global issues.

Issues on the agenda of discussions of the SA-EU Ministerial Troika meeting
are expected to include, among others:

* a report from the Joint Cooperation Council and the implementation of the
Joint Action Plan of the SA-EU Strategic Partnership and
* regional and global cooperation between South Africa and the European Union
including:
* the joint EU-Africa Strategy
* the European Commission – Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations
* the World Trade Organisation/Doha Development Round negotiations
* African peace, security and peacekeeping operations including developments in
the Great Lakes region, Chad, Sudan and Somalia
* the Middle East Peace Process and
* Kosovo.

Following the Ministerial Troika, South Africa and the European Union will
sign the Additional Protocol to the Agreement on Trade, Development and
Cooperation between the European community and its Member States, of the one
part, and South Africa, of the other part, to take account of the accession of
the Republics of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union, as well as the new
Multi-Annual Indicative Programme for South Africa, in which the European Union
provides €980 million in development funding for the 2007 to 2013 EU budgetary
cycle.

The SA-EU Ministerial Troika Meeting will be preceded by the 8th meeting of
the SA-EU Joint Co-operation Council (JCC) on 10 October 2007, which provides
oversight and direction for the proper functioning and implementation of the
TDCA and dialogue between the parties. The JCC will be co-chaired by the
Director General of Foreign Affairs, Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba and Mr Vasco Bramão
Ramos, the Political Director General of the Portuguese Department of Foreign
Affairs.

South Africa is presently involved in negotiations with the EU to finalise
the revision of the TDCA. Matters under discussion on the agenda of the JCC
include, therefore, an overview of co-operation between South Africa and the
European Union in the areas of Science and Technology, the Environment, Trade
and Development Cooperation.

Furthermore, the JCC will also receive reports from the four Negotiating
Groups which were established for the revision of the Trade and Development
Co-operation Agreement (TDCA), namely on Political dialogue, Trade, Economic
and Other Areas of Co-operation, as well as Development Co-operation. The JCC
will also adopt and present a Joint Report to the Ministerial Troika Meeting on
SA-EU Co-operation under the TDCA and on the revision of the Agreement.

SA-EU Economic Relations

* The EU is the world's largest trading bloc and generates about 30 percent
of global GDP and 20 percent of global trade flows. It is the world's biggest
aid donor to poor countries, contributing approximately half of global aid

* Implementation of the TDCA's trade provisions has been under way since
2000 with the aim of establishing a Free Trade Area (FTA) between South Africa
and the EU by 2012. Total trade has increased from R56,5 billion in 1994 to
R278 billion in 2006.

* In 2006 South Africa's exports to the EU-15 amounted to R124 billion. The
EU ranked as South Africa's number one exporting region for 2006. South
Africa's total imports from the EU-15 amounted to R154 billion in 2006, also
ranking number one.

* Europe remains the principal source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in
South Africa, accounting for around 80 percent of total FDI in 2005.
Additionally, the EU accounted for approximately 66 percent of net foreign
investment in South Africa in 2003 and 2004, and in 2005 the EU's share of the
total assets held by foreigners in South Africa amounted to approximately 60
percent.

* The EU is South Africa's largest development partner representing
approximately 70 percent of all Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), with
South Africa earmarked to receive €980 million for 2007-2013. The European
Investment Bank has also approved a loan mandate of €900 million for South
Africa.

SA-EU (15) Trade

(Rands billion)

Imports from the EU
2004: 121
2005: 128
2006: 154

Exports to the EU
2004: 93
2005: 106
2006: 124

Total Trade
2004: 215
2005: 235
2006: 278

The SA-EU Strategic Partnership

Following the visit of President Mbeki to the EU in November 2004, there was
a reappraisal in the European Commission of relations with SA. The Commission
felt that SA-EU relations needed to be elevated beyond the framework provided
for in the SA-EU Trade and Development Cooperation Agreement (TDCA) into a
substantive strategic partnership along the lines of those the EU has with
countries like India and China, etc. This resulted in informal discussions
between the SA Mission in Brussels and the European Commission (EC) about the
developing nature of the SA-EU relationship, which eventually led to the matter
being raised at the November 2005 SA-EU Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC)
meeting. The JCC accepted a Joint Report mandating that ..."new steps need to
be taken to ensure that South Africa–EU relations develop into a truly
strategic partnership..."

In February 2006 the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian
Aid, Mr Louis Michel, presented President Mbeki and Minister Dlamini Zuma with
a non-paper entitled "A possible EU-SA strategic partnership". In a letter
dated 30 May 2006, President Mbeki provided a preliminary response, in which he
expressed himself in favour of a strategic partnership between South Africa and
the EU.

Based on the various aforementioned interactions, and also using the
opportunity offered by the requirement for a mid-term review of the TDCA, the
EC subsequently published a paper on 28 June 2006 titled "Communication from
the Commission to the Council and European Parliament: Towards an EU-South
Africa Strategic Partnership”.

In November 2006 the JCC adopted a Joint Statement on the SA-EU Strategic
Partnership, which called for a Joint Action Plan to be finalised and agreed to
at the next SA-EU Ministerial Troika meeting to be held on 14 May 2007, and
that a progress report on its implementation be drafted for adoption at the
November 2007 JCC. The parties agreed that the Strategic Partnership should add
value to the existing co-operation, including the SA-EU Joint Country Strategy
Paper (CSP) for 2007-2013, as well as to the present review and full
implementation of the TDCA.

Subsequently, following several rounds of intense negotiations, the SA-EU
Ministerial Troika meeting of 14 May 2007 agreed to the Joint Action Plan for
the establishment of the SA-EU Strategic Partnership. In terms of the structure
of the Strategic Partnership and its overall relation to the SA-EU Trade and
Development Co-operation Agreement (TDCA) agreement was reached on the
following issues, namely:
* There will be high-level political talks twice a year in Troika format. This
forms the core of political dialogue between the EU and South Africa. The
meetings will take place in South Africa and the EU. The dialogue should take
place at Summit level on a regular basis.
* High-level ad hoc meetings on issues of common interest will be effected
whenever necessary.
* The JCC should take place alternately in South Africa and the EU. It will
meet at Senior Officials and/or Ministerial level.
* Full use will be made of opportunities for contacts between South African
Ministers and their EU counterparts on issues of mutual interest.
* There would be periodic meetings at the level of senior officials and experts
to exchange views on regional, continental and global issues.
* To maintain and strengthen regular dialogue at the level of Heads of
Mission's meetings with the South African Department of Foreign Affairs.
* To review at the Summit, Ministerial Troika and JCC-level meetings the
effective implementation of decisions taken, and jointly decide on future
actions.

Media programme for South Africa – European Union Ministerial Troika
Meeting
Wednesday 10 October 2007
15h30: Arrival of media ahead of opening session of the South Africa – European
Union Ministerial Troika Meeting
Venue: Presidential Guesthouse, Bryntirion Estate, Church Street (Enter through
Gate 9)
Pretoria
(Please RSVP)
(Please present press cards)
Contact: Manusha Pillai
Cell: 082 389 3587
16h00 ; Opening session of South Africa – European Union Ministerial Troika
meeting
Media in attendance for photo opportunity and introductory remarks
17h30: Arrival of media ahead of joint press conference on conclusion of South
Africa – European Union Ministerial Troika meeting
Venue: Presidential Guesthouse, Bryntirion Estate, Church Street (Enter through
Gate 9)
Pretoria
(Please RSVP)
(Please present press cards)
Contact: Manusha Pillai
Cell: 082 389 3587
18h00: Joint press conference
For further information on programme, contact: Manusha Pillai
Cell: 082 389 3587

Enquiries:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853

Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
9 October 2007
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs (http://www.dfa.gov.za)