EU-South Africa summit to strengthen strategic relations

The sixth South Africa-EU Summit to be held in Pretoria, South Africa, on Thursday will provide an opportunity to strengthen the strategic relation between the two sides, noted an EU statement here Tuesday. The one-day meeting will discuss a number of key issues, in particular the South Africa-EU strategic partnership, peace and security topics in Africa and beyond, but also global governance, climate change, trade, development issues, and the relations between Africa and Europe as a whole. The EU will be represented by Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, and by Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. South Africa will be represented by President Jacob Zuma. This year the summit takes place on Nelson Mandela's International Day, and will be the occasion for Presidents Van Rompuy and Barroso to pay tribute, together with President Zuma, "to one of the greatest moral and political leaders of our time", added the statement.