Cape Town: The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, is set to co-chair the 16th Ministerial Political Dialogue between South Africa and the European Union (EU) on Wednesday, 19 February 2025, in Cape Town. Joining Lamola will be 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.

According to South African Government News Agency, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIrCO) highlighted the strategic relationship between South Africa and the EU, which is characterized by a multi-dimensional bilateral cooperation that is long-standing and mutually beneficial. Diplomatic relations between South Africa and the EU were officially established in December 1993, in the lead-up to 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 framework has been realized through enhanced political dialogue, collaboration in trade and trade-related areas, economic cooperation, technical assistance, and development cooperation.

The TDCA also set up a political dialogue at the Ministerial level between South Africa and the EU, acting as a mechanism to review progress on various areas of bilateral cooperation and to discuss enhancing collaboration on regional and global developments of mutual interest. To date, DIrCO has reported that seven summit meetings have occurred 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.