Parliament’s oversight authority to meet European Parliament

A delegation of the Parliamentary Oversight Authority, led by Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Mr Max Sisulu and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Mr Mninwa Mahlangu, left for Brussels, Belgium, this week for a series of meetings with the European Parliament.

The delegation also comprises Mr Mxolisi Nkosi (South Africa’s ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union), Dr Mathole Motshekga (Chief Whip of the African National Congress, the majority party in Parliament), Ms Nosipho Ntwanambi (Chief Whip in the NCOP), Mr Watty Watson (Chief Whip of the Democratic Alliance, the largest opposition party in Parliament), Ms Juli Killian (Whip of the Congress of the People), Mr Koos van der Merwe (Chief Whip of the Inkatha Freedom Party) and Dr Corné Mulder (Whip elected by smaller parties).

The aim of the meetings is to forge closer links between the two legislatures to ensure effective oversight of the South Africa - European Union (EU) Strategic Partnership Joint Action Plan, signed in May 2007.

In February 2008, the two legislatures also signed a Joint Declaration on the Strengthening of Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Political Dialogue, aimed at establishing mechanisms to monitor the Joint Action Plan. However, the requirements of the 2008 declaration were not fully implemented, until now.

The EU is South Africa’s largest trading partner and its main source of foreign direct investment. South Africa is also the EU’s main African partner and the only country in Africa identified as one of nine strategic partners of the EU worldwide. Besides South Africa, these strategic partners include the United States of America, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Russia, India, China and Mexico.

The legal basis for relations between South Africa and the EU is the Trade Development and Cooperation Agreement, which covers political dialogue, trade, development and economic cooperation. This agreement was enhanced by the signing of the Strategic Partnership Joint Action Plan, which sought to turn existing cooperation agreements from political dialogue into active political cooperation at bilateral, regional, continental and global levels.