South Africa-EU Summit Discusses Climate Change Negotiations

28 September 2010: The third South Africa-EU Summit, which was held in Brussels, Belgium, on 27-28 September 2010, resulted in a Joint Communiqué that addresses, among other issues, the international climate change negotiations.

In the Communiqué, leaders of South Africa and the EU reaffirm their commitment to a strategic partnership based on shared values and interests, including the promotion of peace and security, human rights, democracy, the rule of law and sustainable development regionally and globally. They agree to increase joint efforts to tackle the global economic and financial crisis, climate change, food insecurity and energy scarcity, expressing their concern with, inter alia, the adverse effects of climate change on development gains and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In the section of the Joint Communiqué devoted to climate change, leaders reiterate their commitment to work together ahead of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UNFCCC in Cancun, Mexico, in late 2010. They recognize that the Copenhagen Accord provides important political guidance in the ongoing negotiations and welcome the commitments to targets and actions put forward by parties, while recognizing that these remain insufficient to limit global temperature increases to less than 2ºC above pre-industrial levels. They underline the need to strengthen commitments in the context of an ambitious legally binding global agreement, in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities. They also refer to fast-start finance as a key element for an effective result in the climate change negotiations in Cancun.

Finally, the EU and South Africa commit to strengthen their collaboration on climate change and sustainable development within the context of the European Commission's development cooperation strategy with South Africa, and to collaborate towards a successful third Africa-EU Summit, to be held on 29-30 November 2010. [Joint Communiqué]