Abstract:
The European Union (EU) and South Africa have a longstanding relationship, which includes
political and economic partnerships, thus providing a critical test case for norms diffusion. In
the past few years, however, this relationship has changed and new powers have come into
the picture, especially Brazil, China, India and Russia (BRIC), affording new opportunities
for agency to South Africa in dealing with norms emanating from Europe. The field of energy
governance, with its crucial impact on both climate change and sustainable development, is
likely to become a critical terrain of policy cooperation in the near future. This article
discusses pioneering research on how South Africa perceives the EU’s role in energy
governance against the backdrop of the growing influence of the BRICs. It reviews media
images and uses them as a proxy of public discourse in South Africa. Our data shows that
while the EU is a critical partner for South Africa, its public image in the country is in decline
in the field of energy governance, with growing relevance occupied by the BRICs countries.
