ACP PRESS RELEASES

13 October 2003

No 3

6^th ACP-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

Rome, Italy

Chairperson of ACP Council of Ministers underlines the threats of trade negotiations, the slow disbursements of the EDF Funds and the needs for an genuine ACP-EU dialogue.

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President of ACP Council of Ministers underlines the threats of trade negotiations, slow disbursements of EDF Funds, and the need for genuine ACP-EU dialogue.

In his address to the Joint ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Rome on 13 October 2003, the President of the ACP Council of Ministers, Lt. Gen. Mompati S. MERAFHE, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Bostwana, focused on three issues : the threats represented by the multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations for the ACP Group, the need to speed up the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement and foster increased involvement of the ACP in the management of EDF funds, and the need for a more transparent political dialogue between ACP and EU.

In his introduction, the ACP President identified the link between these three issues. Firstly, there is a clear link between the economic, political, trade and development dimensions. He added that, to ensure an efficient implementation of the Cotonou Agreement, greater emphasis should be laid on ACP-EU dialogue. No unilateral action should be taken that has the potential to create division, weaken the Partnership, and impede development initiatives amongst ACP States. He said: “The threat of unilateralism in global politics, and future enlargement of the EU, calls for improved ACP-EU unity and solidarity”.

Trade negotiations. Minister Merafhe considered that ACP and EU are aware of the outcome of the 5^th WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancun. He called for a WTO with flexible rules and a predominantly developmental agenda and declared hoping that the EU side would cooperate to safeguard the interests of the developing world, particularly the ACP Group, in the global trade environment. The ACP president underlined the important relationship between the global negotiations in the Doha WTO Development Agenda framework and ACP-EC negotiations for Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). At the same time, he that the competitiveness of the ACP in the global market is limited by capacity and infra-structural constraints. According to him, the EPA’s negotiations have been, and will continue to be, complex, difficult and challenging.

Even the two ACP regions which were in position to launch the second phase (regional phase) of the EPAs with the EU, namely Western and Central Africa, could not however agree with the European Commission on the structure and roadmap for the negotiations, he added. He reminded that during the all-ACP-phase of the negotiations with the EC, agreement was reached on some matters, but there continues to be divergence on some pivotal issues. EPAs must be instruments for development and not ends in themselves.

Implementation of the Cotonou Agreement. To Minister Merafhe, this implementation remains one of the core challenges of the ACP-EU Partnership. He underscored the importance of the decision to organize regional workshops for National and Regional Authorising officers of the European Development Funds and reaffirmed the ACP commitments to prepare for what he considered an important phase of ACP-EU co-operation. He implored the EU side to speed up the deconcentration process, which aims to empower the Delegations of the European Commission to take decisions, expedite disbursements and minimise the administrative bureaucracy attached to the implementation of EDF programmes and projects.

ACP Ministerial consultations have identified concrete and practical interventions in key sectors for support. They identified sector-wide approach and budgetary support as two measures for addressing the problems of EDF resources for rural development and the environment. Sectoral approaches, coupled with other initiatives in trade, peace and security, enable the ACP Group to be in a position to submit concrete proposals based on needs originating from ACP States and regions, for EDF resources.

Of concern to the ACP Group, he criticised, is the tendency of the European Commission to allocate large sums of EDF resources to global initiatives, when there is no lack of development priorities to which these resources could be allocated in all ACP States and regions.

Budgetization of the EDF.

The president of the ACP Council of Ministers said the ACP Group was aware of the European Commission’s proposal to integrate the European Development Fund (EDF) into the normal EU budget – budgetization of the EDF. The Group, he added, is yet to reach a position on this matter, but whatever decision is made on budgetization should not be made without the agreement of the ACP Group. He insisted that the ACP needs to be fully aware of the implications as they relate to the key issues of ownership, partnership, transparency, accountability and decision-making.

Political dialogue. On this matter, Minister Merafhe considered that the operationalisation of the provisions for political dialogue in the Cotonou Agreement is crucial to ensure that agreed, unambiguous parameters of dialogue exist. To him, the Parties to the Partnership can arrive at common positions which can prevent a situation where one Party has to revert to punitive measures to resolve differences. As far as the ACP responsibilities are concerned, he said it is regrettable that this year has witnessed quite a number of attempted and successful coup d’états in ACP States. He stressed that the ACP Group is taking steps to promote the rule of law in their regions and has taken a clear position on the violation of democratic rules in ACP countries.

At the end, the Chairman of the ACP Council of Ministers underscored the importance ACP development policy attaches to the role of Culture and cultural industries and by the involvement of civil society in ACP-EU co-operation. He reported that the 1^st meeting of the ACP Ministers of Culture was a great success and was attended by well over 50 Ministers from ACP countries as well as representatives of regional and international organisations active in the field of culture. The meeting also supported the organisation of an ACP Festival in Haiti in 2004 and the commissioning of a study to determine the feasibility and modalities for the setting up of an ACP Cultural Foundation. The ACP Group fully supports the new participatory role of non-State Actors under the Cotonou Agreement. It is actively pursuing all avenues and possibilities to inform and guide non-State Actors on their new role and responsibilities, with particular focus on the implementation and operationalisation of the provisions of the Cotonou Agreement.

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Contact: Hegel Goutier, Chief Press & Communication

in Rome : +39 338 4790877 Email : hegelgoutier@yahoo.fr www.acp.int