EU pledges 4.7 bln euros to South Africa as Trump brings them closer

Record ID: 1983166

  • Title: EU pledges 4.7 bln euros to South Africa as Trump brings them closer
  • Date: 13th March 2025
  • Summary: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (MARCH 13, 2025) (REUTERS) SOUTH AFRICA PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE / TABLE MOUNTAIN IN BACKGROUND MOTORCADE OF PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL, ANTONIÓ COSTA, AND PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, URSULA VON DER LEYEN, ARRIVING COSTA GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE AND GREETING SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA LAMP POST AND EU FLAG VON DER LEYEN GREETI
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Cyril Ramaphosa Diplomacy Economy European Union Finance Government International Relations Politics South Africa Support Ursula von der Leyen
  • Location: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
  • City: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Africa,European Union,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001845713032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: European Union leaders announced a 4.7 billion euro ($5.10 billion) investment package during a visit to South Africa on Thursday (March 13), at a time when both are on worse terms with the United States than they have been for decades.
    The European leaders said the visit was an opportunity to strengthen close ties with Africa's most advanced economy, coinciding with the latter's presidency of the Group of 20 nations, which U.S. officials have so far largely snubbed.
    U.S. President Donald Trump has stunned European leaders with his pivot towards Russia in the Ukraine war, upending U.S. policy since Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022. His staunchly pro-Israel stance has brought him into conflict with South Africa over its genocide case against Israel at the World Court.
    The U.S. administration has also interposed itself in Europe and South Africa's domestic politics, criticising Europe for attempting to isolate the far right and ignoring voters' concerns about immigrants, while cutting aid to South Africa over its efforts to address historic racial land injustice.
    The EU trip was an opportunity to ameliorate ties, which soured when South Africa refused to outright condemn Russia's Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine.
    (Production: Shafiek Tassiem, Catherine Schenck)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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