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Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for joining us for our European Union pre-G20 press conference.

Presidents von der Leyen and Costa will deliver introductory statements to set the scene before we open the floor for your questions.

As always, please state your name and the media you represent before posing your questions.

And with that we can hand over to the presidents.

President von der Leyen, the floor is yours. Typically we start with.

I'm very glad to be here in Johannesburg with the President Ursula von der Leyen to represent the European Union.

Africa is a strategic partner in our multipolar world and for the very first time we are having a G7 summit on African soil. We are living in challenging times. Wars in Africa and Europe.

Humanitarian tragedies in the Middle East, trade tensions,

supply chains being disrupted, and economic coercion on the rise.

And against the backdrop of global challenges like climate change,

inequality, and poverty.

The European Union comes with a simple message to our partners. The European Union is here. We are predictable, reliable, and trustworthy partner.

We are here to work with our G20 partners.

We are here to work together because nobody cannot tackle global challenges alone. South Africa made this year a success.

It has used this opportunity to advance very important priorities.

Solidarity, equality,

and sustainable development priorities that we share in the European Union.

We are taking positive steps to make the international financing architecture more inclusive,

efficient, and representative.

To ease the debt burden that prevents developing countries for investing in their own future,

to improve debt sustainability and of vulnerable countries. Climate change is blind to growth. But hurts developing countries more.

The European Union is here to lead the way in cutting emissions.

And so is our willingness to help vulnerable countries react and adapt to these challenges.

The European Union is committed to supporting Africa's journey to unlock its full potential. And we are looking forward.

To engaging with all African Union countries at our summit with them early next week.

Finally, on critical minerals,

diversifying supply chains and reducing dependencies is a priority for the European Union. Concentrated production increases geopolitical and economic risks. We must build strategic autonomy.

This requires us to engage with different parts of the world and with new partnerships while strengthening existing ones.

This is what the G20 enables us to do.

On development, on trade, on climate, on critical minerals or artificial intelligence,

the European Union will take its responsibilities as a big economic power in the multi-polar world,

but we cannot do it alone.

We need all G20 members to take bold collective action. This is what this summit is about.

As the world becomes more multipolar, we need more multilateral cooperation, not less. Not less.

To paraphrase Bishop Desmond Tutu, I said, I would say.

Our commitment to multilateralism is bound up in yours. Multilateralism is not old fashioned. Multilateralism is not outdated.

Multilateralism is our best, maybe our only defence against disruption, violence,

and chaos, and South Africa puts multilateralism to work.

And I would like to commend President Ramaphosa.

And the South African team,

you have done an exceptional work towards reaching an agreed leaders outcome from this summits.

We are looking forward to the discussions ahead. Thank you very much.