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The summit marked the signing of a landmark agreement tackling the future of critical minerals — metals essential for green energy, digital technology and defence — designed to ensure both South Africa and the EU rise up the value chain. The deal comes as the EU races to diversify supply away from dominant sources and amid growing fears of disruptions.
At a high-profile trilateral meeting on Thursday, Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, together with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and António Costa, President of the European Council, affirmed a deepening partnership defined by trust, reliability and shared goals.
The summit marked the signing of a landmark agreement tackling the future of critical minerals — metals essential for green energy, digital technology and defence — designed to ensure both South Africa and the EU rise up the value chain. The deal comes as the EU races to diversify supply away from dominant sources and amid growing fears of disruptions.
Von der Leyen announced that: “Today we’ve signed three new major projects. … we are investing €350 million to modernize South Africa’s infrastructure both in transport and in energy, and this includes support for Transnet’s decarbonization under the Just Energy Transition Partnership.
South Africa will not solely extract raw minerals — it intends to process them domestically, capturing higher value and supporting local jobs. The EU will bolster clean-energy and transport systems in South Africa, strengthening a partnership under the umbrella of its Global Gateway investment strategy.
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Both sides emphasized the defense of multilateralism: the agreement comes amid uncertainty over U.S. engagement in global forums and signals an intent to uphold collaborative, rules-based systems.