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Address by Sir John KAPUTIN, Secretary General, on the occasion of the 5 th meeting of the technical follow-up Group on EPAs Brussels , 6 february 200 Or :FR/Tr/Rev :AM Your Excellencies, the Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen, Representatives of the Negotiating Regions, Representatives of Regional Integration Organisations, Ladies and Gentlemen, Allow me, once again, to welcome you to ACP House with which you have become increasingly familiar since the launching of the negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements and the many meetings that they have since engendered. I am especially grateful to you for having found the time to organise a meeting of the Follow-up Group on the negotiations, given the busy schedule facing all of us in 2007, the year in which, in principle, the negotiations should be concluded. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, We knew, from the outset, that the negotiations that we were undertaking would not be easy. We knew we would face several constraints and that, with this in mind, the sharing of experiences, coherent approaches, region by region, and the coordination of our efforts would be an invaluable asset that would enable us to partially compensate for the weakness of our capacities. The ACP Secretariat, through the follow-up mechanism, has been trying, for three (3) years now, to implement this sharing of information. However, I am sure you will agree with me that this is no easy task, with our schedules being full once again and events scattered over diverse periods from one region to other. To be able to carefully monitor the negotiations, we must always remember that the interests of our regions may be different in several aspects, which is quite normal. This is normal because the economic structure of our respective countries and regions, and progress in regional integration, are reflected differently in the various regions of the ACP Group that are currently negotiating the EPAs. However, what we need to avoid is that these differences and disagreements between us are not exploited by our partners. Since we are aware of these differences in the objectives of the negotiating regions, we can seek to reach agreement on the common elements and defend them at the All-ACP level. The positions to be adopted and supported collectively or individually must not be allowed to inadvertently sap the efforts of the other regions. You will therefore, no doubt, understand the importance of the exercise in which we will be engaged this morning for the 5 th time. We need to review what everyone has accomplished, the degree to which deadlines have been met and the prospects for the end of the negotiations. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Last December, at the Summit in Khartoum, and at the 84 th session of the ACP Council of Ministers in the run-up to the Summit, the representatives of your different regions reiterated their concerns regarding the level reached in the negotiations and the consequent possibility of concluding the negotiations and setting up the EPA as early as 1 st January 2008. I have learnt that in the recent past several of you have held or will hold, in the near future, ministerial discussions with the European Commission. This is surely the occasion to reiterate our apprehensions and to assess the real chances of concluding these EPAs within the prescribed deadline. What concerns us above all, and contributes to the slow pace of the negotiations is the planned formulation of these Economic Partnership Agreements. At ACP level, we want them to be more than just mere trade agreements, to be true instruments for development, with the characteristics intrinsic to the trade agreement, taking account of the unequal level of development between the signatories. We also want accompanying measures designed to assist the countries and regions in speeding up the transformation of their respective economies and to implement, with every chance of success, the trade aspect of the Agreement. It is in taking these elements into consideration that we need to take decisions regarding our present state of preparation. Today, we must ensure that we have all the guarantees to ensure that the gradual opening up of our economies does not destroy the industrial development now taking place there. We must be certain that we possess all the critical information on the potential impact of the EPAs on the development of our countries and the reduction of poverty. We must also possess information that will indicate to us that we will obtain the space required to determine our economic policies and adjust our orientation throughout the implementation of the EPAs. These points of reference are merely indicative. What is essential is that we feel comfortable at the moment that we give our agreement for the gradual opening of our economies to imports from the European Union. I urge you therefore, today and tomorrow, to review the entire situation of the negotiations within your regions, so as to be able, first of all, to give an indication of the date when the EPA are likely to come into force. Afterwards, depending on the observations made and the assessment of the situation, it will be up to you to impart your expectations to us so that in the coming weeks, we could prepare the way in the political bodies which will be called upon to decide on the outcome of the complete review of the negotiations, pursuant to Article 37.6 of the Cotonou Agreement. Between now and the end of the month, all the regions will have validated the results of the review. However, as you undoubtedly know, the intermediate conclusions tend to indicate that most of the regions will not be ready to conclude the EPA negotiations by the end of 2007. On this issue, too, we must form a united front so that whatever the decision taken and the position to be adopted, we always remember to protect the weakest and most vulnerable members of the Group. Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, In these few words, I have sought to express some of the reflections that I wished to share with you before you begin your evaluation exercise that will occupy you over the next two days. It is in the regions that the negotiations are taking place, and it is the responsibility of the regions to take the definitive decision. The ACP Secretariat intends to maintain and play its role fully, by constantly reminding you of the vision and the interest of the ACP Group as confirmed by the members, and which must correspond to the regional interests. I wish you fruitful talks and a successful meeting. Thank you.
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