Trade Committee delegation to visit South Africa
Trade Committee delegation to visit South Africa
News European Parliament | 31st March 2023
By NEP, Press release
A delegation of six Members of the Committee on International Trade (INTA) and the Chair of the Delegation for relations with South Africa will travel to Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town between 3 and 7 April 2023 to discuss the implementation of the EU-Southern African Development Community (SADC) Economic Partnership Agreement while exploring the room for its improvement as well as to examine further regional integration. The delegation, led by the INTA Chair, Bernd Lange (S&D, DE), will engage with representatives of the South African Government, Members of Parliament as well as with other relevant South African and SADC partners and stakeholders.
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Bernd Lange (S&D, DE), Chair of the INTA Committee: “Trade relations need to create opportunities for people while respecting core principles of sustainable development. South Africa is a key player on the African Continent and an important bridge-builder on the international scene, which is looking to reshape its role in global and African affairs. The EU’s relations with South Africa are deep and longstanding. It is the EU’s largest trading partner on the continent. The EU and SADC EPA States are currently reviewing the Economic Partnership Agreement, which has been provisionally applied since 2016. The delegation will discuss the implementation of the agreement and explore the room for its improvement in order to make it fit for the future. With the prospect of Angola to join the agreement, the delegation will also examine the possibilities of further regional integration.”
The delegation is led by Bernd LANGE (S&D, DE) and is composed of five MEPs representing different political groups: Inma RODRÍGUEZ-PIÑERO (S&D, ES), Samira RAFAELA (Renew, NL), Danilo Oscar LANCINI (ID, IT), Saskia BRICMONT (Greens, BE), Michiel HOOGEVEEN (ECR, NL), as well as Magdalena ADAMOWICZ (EPP, PL), the Chair of the Delegation for relations with South Africa.