ACP PRESS RELEASE
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The ACP Council of Ministers at the ACP-EU Joint
Parliamentary Assembly.
The
Minister for Foreign
Affairs, International Trade and Regional Cooperation of Mauritius,
EPAs likely to be negative.
In the debate on
EPAs in which EU Commissioner Lamy
also intervened, Minister Cuttaree, representing the
whole ACP Group, started by stressing that
the EPA approach entails certain risks and could have negative effects on ACP
countries in general and on African countries in particular, and that ACP
countries will not gain many additional preferences or market access than those
they currently enjoy. They will actually have, he added, to ultimately lower
their tariffs when importing EU products and this might have very serious
consequences for the ACP.
As
far as he is concerned, EPAs could be trade diverting
and result in an important transfer of tariff revenues from ACP to EU
producers, thus worsening the terms of trade and resulting in a net welfare
loss for the ACP. The ACP Minister said that some studies, including by the
World Bank have estimated that the net impact of EPAs
is likely to be negative.
Lack of adequate capacity of the ACP to engage in
EPA negotiations.
The Minister drew attention
to the lack of adequate capacity of the
ACP to engage in EPA negotiations although they have been launched in three ACP
regions, because not many of the ACP countries have concluded in-depth studies
and analysis on the impact of trade liberalization on the economies of
individual ACP States. Even the European Commission, he pointed out, has not
completed separate sustainability impact assessment studies for all the
regions, except for
Sequence of the negotiations. For this reason, the ACP attributes great
importance to the sequence of the negotiations. EPAs
should first and foremost address regional integration and be focused on
development. It is only after these countries have achieved a certain level of
development that they can feel confident to negotiate and conclude reciprocal
commitments. EPAs
should build on and not undermine regional integration arrangements. An
integration process linking the ACP with the European Union should follow
thereafter. Furthermore, the cohesion of ACP Group as a whole should not be
weakened.
Phase 1 still to be concluded.Turning to the first phase of the EPA negotiations,
Minister Cuttaree recalled that the ACP expected this phase to be used
to clarify the principles and matters of common interest and that the EU
rejected any binding agreement. It is regrettable that the clarifications that
were to have been made in the first phase have resulted in divergences. One
area of divergence of views which is of critical concern to the ACP is the EU’s intention to apply the non-execution clause to the
economic and trade and cooperation aspects of the partnership. This proposal
goes beyond what the WTO provisions contain in the case of dispute. In
practical terms, such sanctions can only be applied to the weaker side of this
partnership.
Implementation of
Mr. Pierre Moussa, President of the ACP Council of Ministers, first drew the Assembly’s attention to the need for fast progress in the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement which is due to be reviewed this year.
He stressed the need to simplify
and accelerate the disbursement of resources under the 9th EDF. In
that regard, he stated that the ACP Council of Ministers had approved the
Brussels Declaration on the rapid and effective implementation of the 9th
EDF adopted by the 7th meeting of ACP National and Regional
Authorizing Officers in May 2003. He added that ACP-EU regional seminars had
been planned, the first for the East African region due to take place in
These seminars will, inter alia, contribute to the preparation of the mid-term review of the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement. The re-allocation of resources scheduled in certain cases should be done according to specific criteria agreed by both parties.
As regards simplification, the Minister affirmed the ACP States’ desire for deconcentration, which would confer real power on the European Commission Delegations in ACP countries. Similarly, he pointed out that efforts must be made to reduce the administrative procedures for the management of the EDF to a strict minimum. Sectorial Ministerial meetings may prove useful, he counselled, as did the conference on Research, Science and Technology, and the one on culture held in Cape Town and Dakar, respectively, as well as others scheduled on Rural development and the Environment, and on Education.
The Council president announced that the ACP Group expected to submit firm proposals on the use of EDF resources.
Inclusion of the EDF in the EU budget. The Council President said that the ACP Group had been closely following the ongoing debate within the EU institutions on the European Commission’s proposal to include the European Development Fund in the EU budget. Although a decision had not yet been taken on the issue, he continued, the ACP Group considered it inexpedient to take any decision until after thorough consultations, and that the essential issue was that of knowing what the advantages of EDF budgeting would be in terms of speeding up disbursements, lightening the procedures, and safeguarding the principles of co-decision and ownership which constitute the basis of the acquis of the partnership. He said that other factors, such as the impact of the EU enlargement on the proposals relating to the said EDF budgeting, must equally be defined.
Special attention to Political Dialogue Hon. Moussa considered that, in the framework of the review of the Cotonou Agreement, Political Dialogue deserved the special attention of the negotiators, since specific parameters must be laid down to serve as a framework for that dialogue, especially as regards the provisions relating to Articles 96 and 97 of the Agreement which, among other things, govern the issue of sanctions. The re-examination must be aimed at ensuring that both parties have an identical interpretation of the provisions and the same understanding for their implementation.
Undertaking on Human Rights and Peace: The Council president noted that, as far as he was concerned, the ACP Group had, in the past months, intensified political dialogue between its members with a view to contributing to the consolidation of peace and dispute settlement in its Member-States and regions.
He undertook to strive to ensure that the European side would have no need to resort to Article 96 in case of failure to fulfil Human Rights obligations in the ACP countries.
Just like the Minister, the Council president also defended the ACP position regarding the EPAs.