BRUSSELS, The Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) has expressed concern at the delay of the post-Cotonou Partnership Agreement with the European Union and is hoping that “all constraints would be overcome for its signing in Samoa next year by May.”
The Post-Cotonou Agreement is a legally binding treaty that is expected to shape political, social, and economic relations between 106 countries across four continents. It replaces the Cotonou Agreement, which offers EU and OACP countries the opportunity to negotiate development-oriented free trade arrangements called Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).
The Cotonou Agreement was first signed in June 2000 in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city, by 78 ACP countries and the then 15 member states of the EU. It entered into force in 2003 and was subsequently revised in 2005 and 2010.
A communique issued at the end of the 45th ACP-EU Council of Ministers meeting that ended late on Tuesday night noted that the meeting “engaged in political exchanges, including on the impact of the war in Ukraine and its devastating global reach, particularly in the area of food and energy security.”
Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Dr. Emery Browne, who co-chaired the meeting together with the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, said, “The OACPS and EU states are facing major challenges such as those related to global warming and the consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as well as various conflicts affecting some of our countries, including the war in Ukraine.”
According to the communique, the OACPS also expressed the hope that the Global Gateway strategy should come with technical training for the effective use of the aid.
The Global Gateway is the EU’s new connectivity strategy that aims to create smart, sustainable, and secure links with countries around the world in the thematic areas of digital, energy, and transport. It also aims to strengthen health and education systems across the world.
The OACPS has also called for a Globalized Biodiversity Framework that will halt biodiversity loss for the benefit of the planet, as well as calling for a substantial increase in new, predictable, adequate, and accessible financial resources for the effective implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, including the establishment of a dedicated fund for Biodiversity as a key outcome from Montreal.
Earlier, Browne, addressing the Council of Ministers of the OACPS, said the grouping is confronted by the recent notice of South Africa’s withdrawal from the OACPS family.
“We can shake our heads and speak of perilous times, but we can also choose to look inwardly and see how we can improve as an organization, to give greater value to our member states, play a greater role internationally, and aid the 1.2 billion citizens within the member states of the OACPS.
“As we deal with the departure of one member, we are happy to welcome another, the Republic of Maldives, which is currently an observer and whose application for full membership should hopefully soon be approved,” he said.
Browne said the OACPS has been in transition for the last two years, complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war.
He said the new partnership agreement is still to be signed against a background of increasing financial concerns as a result of the dissolution of the European Development Fund (EDF) and the fall in the level of contributions from Member States.
“Regrettably, we are still no closer to signing, and the optics are not good at this point. We understand that there are issues on the EU side, and the Secretary-General has been meeting with the relevant authorities, but it is dubious if any signing will actually take place by June of 2023.
“We, as the OACPS, must decide how we are going to proceed towards finalization of this matter,” he added.
“While the situation is not yet dire, it is worrisome,” he said, adding, “we will together address a number of issues, which we will then recommend for endorsement by the Summit” that will be held in Angola from December 6-10.
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