The Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

Your Excellencies, the Ambassadors, Director of the SAE-CO Foundation, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am especially honoured to welcome you to ACP House for this meeting organised by the SURINAME/ACP/EU - SAE-CO Foundation to take stock of the results of the cooperation initiative between the Republic of Suriname and the European Union over the past 30 years.

I would like to commend the SAE-CO Foundation for organising this meeting which will provide us with the results of the study conducted on its cooperation projects.

As you know, the past 30 years in the history of ACP-EU relations have been marked by the signature of four Lomé Conventions and the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement (known as the Cotonou Agreement), which was signed in Cotonou, Benin on 23 June 2000 and underwent its first 5-year revision last year.  

Over that 30-year period both the ACP Group and the EU have been enlarged.

The number of ACP Member States has increased from 46 to 79. The European Union, for its part, also grew from six to nine, then 15, before finally reaching its present composition of 25 Member States in 2004.

At the same time, major changes have taken place on the international scene with an increasingly liberalised world economy.

That is why, at the last four ACP Summits held respectively in Libreville (Gabon) in 1997, in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) in 1999, in Nadi (Fiji) in 2002 and in Maputo (Mozambique) in 2004, ACP Heads of State and Government have reaffirmed how important it is, from a strategic perspective, for the ACP Group to adapt itself to this new international environment.

Based on the guidelines established by the Heads of State and Government, the Group set out to play a more active role within the World Trade Organisation.

In its partnership with the European Union, the major challenge facing the ACP Group, at the present time, is the negotiations of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).

The Cotonou Agreement provides for new trade agreements, compatible with WTO rules, to be concluded by gradually eliminating trade barriers between countries and strengthening cooperation in all trade-related areas.

The ACP Group took the decision to negotiate these Agreements, taking into account both the principle of unity and solidarity, and the need to promote the regional integration initiatives, which are already underway.

For the ACP countries, the EPA negotiations must be based on the objectives of the Cotonou Agreement, namely, the fight against poverty, fostering regional integration, and the gradual integration of the ACP countries into the world economy.

In the face of these challenges, it is imperative that we continue to unite our efforts to eradicate poverty and eliminate the marginalisation that threaten us from day to day.

In concluding, I would like to underscore the fact that the participation of non-state actors constitutes an essential element in our effort to implement all aspects of the ACP-EU cooperation.

I look forward to hearing the outcome of your research for I am sure that the ACP States can benefit immensely from your work in the context of their cooperation activities.

Thank you.