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SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 22ND MEETING OF THECOUNCIL OF ACP MINISTERS(Lomé, 30 October 1979) |
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The 22nd meeting of the Council of ACP Ministers took place in Lomé on Tuesday 30 October 1979. The proceedings of this Council were presided over by H.E. Mr . B. St. JOHN, Deputy Prime of Barbados and President-in-Office of the Council of ACP Ministers.
1. Summary Record of the 21st meeting of the Council of ACP Ministers[Doc.ACP/690/79 (Secr.)]
After amending and adopting the agenda for the meeting (See Annex 1), the Council took note of the summary record of the proceedings of the 21st meeting of the Council of ACP Ministers, held in Brussels on 13 and 14 September 1979.
2. President's statement
The President reported to the Council on the steps which had been taken since the 21st meeting of the Council of ACP Ministers to find a solution to the matters outstanding at the end that meeting. Deputy Prime Minister St. JOHN indicated, among other matters, the outcome of the working meeting held in London on 14 October 1979 when he met his European counterpart, Minister O'KENNEDY.
The results had mainly been concerned with:
- ACP proceed rice
- investment (Article 64, and Joint Declaration)
- Special measures in favour of the least-developed, landlocked and island ACP countries, particularly in the sphere of investment promotion (Article 82).
- the inclusion of Zaire on the list landlocked countries and finally,
- the utilization of EIB resources, under the terms of Article 18, in all areas, not simply in those of mining and energy (Article 59) [see doc. ACP/705/79 (Secr.) Rev.1].
After the President's oral report, the Council embarked upon a very long debate, mainly on Article 64 and the Joint Declaration thereon. Most speakers felt that the draft Article 64, which mentioned the principle of non-discrimination between the Community's Member States in investment matters, was satisfactory. They proposed, on the other hand, that the text of the Joint Declaration be studied further, and that it would need to set down clearly, and in unequivocal terms, the principles which were "sacrosant" to the ACP such as non-retroactive and non-automatic effect, etc. Agreement on this Joint Declaration could be reached later, in same way as tobacco, in the context of STABEX, and other provisions in the new Convention on which a final decision had not yet been reached.
A very long discussion then took place during which new proposals both from the EEC and the ACP States were examined, but without success.
At the end of these discussions, which lasted till dawn on 31 October 1979, the day of the signing of the new Convention, the Council instructed President St. JOHN, accompanied by its Bureau and the Chairman of the Committee of Ambassadors, to continue discussions with the Community on the basis of the recommendations and comments formulated during the meeting.
3. Delegation of powers to the Committee of ACP Ambassadors during the period of transition from Lomé I to Lomé II, and use in advance of part of the 1979 instalment of the STABEX resources [Doc.ACP/704/79 (Secr.) Rev.1]
The above-mentioned document, amended and put forward by the Enlarged Bureau of the Council of ACP Ministers, was submitted to the full Council meeting (See Annex...). The latter, after a brief exchange of views, approved the draft Act, which will be submitted for the signature of the Council of ACP/EEC Ministers, together with the draft decisions relating to:-
(a) the delegation of powers to the Committee of ACP/EEC Ambassadors for the adoption of transitional measures of the expiry of the Lomé Convention;
(b) the use in advance of part of the 1979 instalment of the resources allocated to the STABEX system.
4. Present state of the ACP States' contributions to the ACP General Secretariat budget, doc. [ACP/702/79 (Secr.)].
At the request of members of the Enlarged Bureau of the Council of Ministers, the President launched an urgent appeal to the Council, calling upon the ACP States to fulfil their financial obligations to the Group's precarious financial situation with particular regard to the state of contributions to the Secretariat's ordinary budgets as well as to the repayment of the loan contacted for ACP House.
5. Date and venue of the next meeting of the Council of ACP Ministers
The President announced to the Council that the next Council of ACP Ministers' meeting will be held in Monrovia, Liberia from 28-31 January 1980. In this respect, he hoped that the dates fixed would not be modified.
6. Examination of the ACP General Secretariat's budget for the month of January 1980 [Doc.ACP/669/79 (Secr.)]
The Council noted that the ACP General Secretariat's budget for the 1980 financial year will be examined only in January 1980 at the Monrovia meeting of the Council of ACP Ministers.
With a view to ensuring the normal running of the Secretariat the Council approved for January 1980, a budget a twelfth of the total amount of the 1979 budget, i.e., 7,755,868 BF, of which 4,551,743 BF will come from the ACP contributions and 3,204,125 BF from the EDF, (See Annex III).
Brussels, 26th October 1979
KK/jb
ACP/701/79 (Secr.) Rev.1
N O T E
Subject: Draft Agenda for the 22nd Meeting of the Council of ACP Ministers to be held at 10.00 a.m. on Tuesday 30th October 1979 at la Maison du RPT, in Lomé Togo.
1. Adoption of the Agenda
2. Summary Record of the 21st Meeting of the Council of ACP Ministers [for information Doc.ACP/690/79 (Secr.)]
3. Communication for the President
4. Delegation of powers to the Committee of ACP Ambassadors during the transitional period between Lomé I and Lomé II [Art.91 of the Lomé Convention) Doc.ACP/704/79 Rev.1]
5. Requests for Stabex transfers in respect of 1978
6. The present state of ACP contributions to the budget of the ACP General Secretariat [Doc.ACP/702/79 (Secr.)]
7. Date and venue of the next meeting of the Council of ACP Ministers.
8. Any other business.
Annex II
Brussels, 12 November 1979
KK:jb
N O T E
Subject: Draft ACP to be submitted for signature to the ACP-EEC Council of Ministers and draft DECISIONS with respect to :
- delegation of powers to the ACP-EEC Committee of Ambassadors as regards the adoption of interim measures of the expiry of the Lomé Convention;
- advance use of part of the 1979 instalment of the resources allocated to the system for the stabilisation of export earnings established by the Lomé Convention.
ACP/EEC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
Lomé, 31 October 1979
By this act, the undersigned indicate their agreement on :
- the use of this procedure for the adoption by the ACP/EEC Council of the under-mentioned decisions:
- the decision of the AP/EEC Council of Ministers delegating powers to the ACP/EEC Committee of Ambassadors concerning the adoption of interim measures on the expiry of the Lomé Convention;
- the decision of the Council of Ministers concerning the use in advance of part of the resources allocated for 1979 to the system of stabilisation of export earnings instituted by the Lomé Convention.
For His Majesty the King of the Belgians
......................................................
from the ACP/EEC Council of Ministers held on
delegating powers to the ACP/EEC
Committee of Ambassadors concerning the adoption of interim measures at
the expiry of the Lomé Convention.
THE ACP/EEC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS,
HAVING REGARD to the ACP/EEC Convention of Lomé signed on February 28, 1975 hereinafter called "the Lomé Convention", and in particular its Articles 75 and 91, sub-paragraph 3,
CONSIDERING that the Lomé Convention shall expire on March 1st, 1980,
CONSIDERING that it is advisable to provide for the adoption of the necessary interim measures, should the new Convention signed on October 31st, 1979 not come into force on the date of expiry of the Lomé Convention,
DECIDES
Article 1
The Council shall delegate to the Committee of Ambassadors the powers referred to in Article 91 of the Lomé Convention to take the necessary interim measures until the entry into force of the new Lomé Convention.
Article 2
The ACP States, the Member States and the Community are required, each as far as they are concerned, to take the measures necessitated by the implementation of this decision.
Done at Lomé
By the ACP/EEC Council of Ministers,
The President
DECISION OF THE ACP-EEC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF
Concerning the use in advance of a portion of the 1979 instalment of resources allocated to the stabilization system for earnings from exports set up by the Convention of Lomé
THE ACP-EEC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS;
Having regard to Article 18 (2) of the Lomé Convention,
Whereas the amount of resources available for the transfers under the stabilization system for earnings from exports renders it impossible to remain within the limit of the annual instalment for the financial year 1978; whereas therefore the Council of Ministers should authorize the use in advance of a portion of the 1979 instalment;
HAVING DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
For the purpose of the transfers to be set against the 1978 financial year, under the system of stabilization of export earnings, the use in advance of the sums necessary for such transfers is hereby authorized within the limit of 15 million European units of account which represents 20% of the instalment for 1979.
Article 2
The Commission is authorized to take the decisions required for implementing the transfers referred to in Article 1.
For the ACP-EEC Council of Ministers
ANNEX III
Brussels, 25th October 1979
BC/mg
ACP/669/79 (Secr.)
Re: CONSIDERATION OF BUDGET FOR THE MONTHS OF JANUARY 1980 FOR THE ACP GENERAL SECRETARIAT