Hon Chair, it is our firm belief as a portfolio committee that South Africa as an emerging economy continue to grapple with a large majority of Africa's role in the European Union, EU, in its populace that lives in poverty. It is against this backdrop that South Africa's role in the EU as the largest trading partner in Africa, should be able to utilise the strategic partnership in promoting trade, investment, tourism, technology transfer, education and health cooperation for the realisation of our national objectives.