Brussels, 11 December 2017/ ACP: Decision-makers
of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States approved key
policy and administrative actions for the organisation, while also
taking a stand on major issues affecting ACP countries.
The
106th session of the ACP Council of Ministers was held on the 4th to
6th of December at the ACP headquarters in Brussels, chaired by the
Minister of Trade, Industry, Informal Sector and SMEs of the Republic of
Senegal H.E. Mr. Alioune Sarr. The Council of Ministers took 16
Decisions, passed five Resolutions and made one Declaration, including
the approval of the Secretariat’s work programme and budget for 2018.
Post-Cotonou Negotiations
The
Council of Ministers instructed the Committee of Ambassadors to take
several steps in preparation for upcoming negotiations with the EU for a
renewed ACP-EU partnership agreement. These include elaborating the
core guiding principles for negotiation, engaging with regional and
continental organisations to consider regional specificities, conducting
a comprehensive analysis of the EU’s preferred scenario for
post-Cotonou ACP-EU relations, and completing outstanding studies
related to the negotiations.
Ministers also agreed to convene a special session of Council dedicated to Post-Cotonou negotiations on 27th May 2018, preceding the 107th meeting of the Council of Ministers to be held in Lomé, Togo.
EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions
The
Council of Ministers passed a resolution strongly condemning the
unilateral and discriminatory practices of the EU in publishing a list
of “non-cooperative tax jurisdictions”, which includes eight ACP states,
despite these countries being compliant or largely compliant with the
standards set by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) - the international body recognised for setting norms
and standards on tax cooperation at the international level.
The
Council noted that the ACP countries blacklisted are mostly small,
developing states with vulnerable economies, which will suffer further
negative economic impact and extensive reputational damage from the EU’s
unilateral actions, which go against the spirit of partnership
enshrined in the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement and undermines the trust and
confidence leading up to Post-2020 negotiations. The Council demanded
that the EU enter into dialogue with the ACP to resolve this matter.
Sale of African migrants in Libya
In
a strongly worded declaration, the ACP Council of Ministers unanimously
condemned the inhumane auctioning of migrants in Libya, which has been
documented in the media. Denouncing these actions as “despicable acts of
slavery” amounting to crimes against humanity, the Council called on
the cooperating development partners to take a holistic and development
approach in addressing the challenges of migration, including effective
means of countering human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.
The
Council commended the Libyan authorities for their immediate response
in investigating these heinous acts, as well as the swift engagement of
the African Union. The Council of Ministers requested the Government of
Libya to provide all necessary assistance to ensure the full respect of
the rights of migrants and refugees.
Resolutions on situations in Guyana, Belize, Cuba
The
Council of Ministers adopted resolutions in full support of the
territorial integrity and sovereignty of ACP member states, urging just
and peaceful resolutions of territorial disputes between Guyana and
Venezuela, as well as Belize and Guatemala. The Council also expressed
its full support and solidarity with Cuba in its fight against the
economic, commercial and financial blockade and extra-territorial
measures imposed by the United States.
Enhancing trade among ACP countries
Several
decisions were taken on trade, including a commitment to enhance
intra-ACP trade and economic relations by setting up an ACP-wide trade
information portal for ACP individuals and businesses in search of
information on manufactured products, commodities, services, investment
opportunities and best practices. Ministers also endorsed an incremental
approach to intra-ACP trade, targeting areas that could being immediate
benefits such as dealing with non-tariff measures and trade
facilitation.
To
tackle non-tariff measures set by the EU that impede, the Council of
Ministers mandated the establishment of a new programme to support ACP
states to cope with the myriad of SPS (Sanitary & Phyto-Sanitary),
TBT (Technical Barriers to Trade) and other challenges related to
exporting to the EU market.
The
Council of Ministers also passed a resolution welcoming progress
towards the implementation of the ACP’s “New Approach” to commodities,
which focuses on transforming ACP commodities by enabling integration
into regional and global value chains. The Council urged the expeditious
completion of a new programme on value chains that will provide support
to sectors such as cotton, sugar, banana, cocoa, kava, fisheries and
rum.
Post-2020 ACP-EU trade
Looking
towards trade with the European Union after the current ACP-EU
Partnership Agreement expires in 2020, the Council of Ministers welcomed
the EU’s assurance that trade and development cooperation will continue
to play a key role in future relations, including Aid for Trade. The
Council acknowledged that the cornerstone of future ACP-EU trade
relations will likely be the reciprocal but asymmetric Economic
Partnership Agreements (EPAs), for export growth and diversification.
However, ministers underscored the need for the future partnership
framework to allow discourse on cross-cutting issues under EPAs as well
as bilateral and multilateral trade.
Budget 2018
The
Council of Ministers approved the budget of the ACP Secretariat, to the
tune of €15,798,678 for the 2018 financial year. A revised scale of
contributions for ACP Member States was also approved, with effect from 1 January 2019
.
Next Council session
The
107th session of the ACP Council of Ministers will be held in Lomé,
Togo, to be followed immediately by the 42nd session of the Joint ACP-EU
Council of Ministers (28 May – 1 June 2018).
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