Sseven years of silence, then two summits in eight months: relations between the European Union and South Africa, official strategic partners since 2007, experienced a spectacular acceleration. Thursday, November 20, ahead of the G20, a new step was taken with the signing of a memorandum of understanding on essential minerals, the cornerstone of Europe’s climate transition, which was celebrated with great fanfare.
On stage, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa. And, to hold the pen, at the bottom of the stage, the French-South African tandem: Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné facing Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mines and Energy, a former underground miner. “Forty years ago…
