EU/African, Caribbean and Pacific partnership: MEPs list key aims for renewal

Ahead of negotiations for a renewed partnership between the EU and the ACP group of 78 African, Caribbean, and Pacific  states, which are to start in August 2018, MEPs welcomed the proposed overall architecture of future cooperation between the two regions, as recommended by the EU Commission, in a debate on Wednesday. However, MEPs also stipulated that the future deal, to replace the EU-ACP partnership’s founding treaty, the Cotonou Agreement, should:

• have as central element the fight against poverty,
• include the principles of equity, mutual respect and mutual interest,
• keep political dialogue as an integrated part of the partnership, and
• integrate support schemes for sustainable agricultural practices.

MEPs also underlined that the parliamentary dimension of the ACP-EU partnership should be further reinforced, with its Joint Parliamentary Assembly dialogue between MEPs and their ACP counterparts at the core of the new partnership. The resolution was adopted by a show of hands. Background The EU-ACP partnership’s founding treaty, the Cotonou Agreement expires in February 2020. Renewal talks must start no later than August 2018. The 35th session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, gathering the representatives of the 78 ACP states and their 78 European Parliament counterparts, will take place from 18 to 20 June 2018 in the European Parliament, in Brussels.