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ACP-EU Cotonou Partnership Agreement undergoes second revision
The Cotonou Partnership Agreement - the framework for EU-ACP relations - underwent its second revision on 19 March. The African Union has, for the first time, become a partner to the agreement, which according to the EU reflects a new emphasis on regional integration as a priority. The revised agreement also introduces climate change as a major focus in ACP-EU relations, with the parties agreeing to raise the political profile of climate change as a threat to the ACP countries and assist vulnerable ACP countries in adapting to climate change. The Cotonou agreement was signed in 2000, and is to be revised every five years until 2020. More information on the Cotonou Agreement and its revisions are available from the European Commission: Partnershihttp://ec.europa.eu/development/geographical/cotonouintro_en.cfmp
ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) gathers in Tenerife
The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) met in Tenerife, Spain on 27 March - 1 April. A host of issues were on the agenda, including the Millennium Development Goals, the social impact of the global crisis[1], tax evasion, climate change[2], migration and institutional matters like the second revision of the Cotonou agreement and the EU Lisbon Treaty. The lack of European commitment beyond the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) - the primary instrument for EU development aid to the ACP, which currently runs to 2013 - appeared as a source of concern to ACP countries[3]. The JPA also adopted a declaration on bananas, stressing the potential negative implications of the EU-Latin America banana agreement for EU and ACP producers. The JPA agreed it is necessary to “consider increasing the financial package to help ACP and European producers adjust to the new regime and speed up disbursement of these funds[4]“.
EU launches public debate on farm subsidies
On 12 April the European Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos of Romania officially launched a public debate on how the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy should be reformed[5]. Following several weeks of consultations, the European Commission is expected to draw up a report on potential changes to the CAP in mid-summer. The Commission’s official “Communication on the CAP” is to be presented before the end of the year, and Ciolos is expected to offer his personal recommendations in mid-2011. The reforms themselves are on a slightly longer timeline: they would not take effect until the beginning of 2014, when the EU’s current budget expires. The debate over how far those reforms should go is expected to pit the fiscally conservative United Kingdom against supporters of robust farm subsidies - countries like France and Greece. Experts say that changes to the CAP will likely include a shift of funds toward Eastern Europe - a prospect that does not sit too well with some politicians who represent the more traditional recipients of European farm aid.
Source: EU Farm Commissioner Launches Debate on Subsidies, Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest, 14 April 2010, Vol. 14, No. 13
Economic report focuses on grim employment situation in Africa
A comprehensive new report from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Union Commission (AUC) focuses on the prospects for boosting employment in Africa. The report notes that growth in Africa declined from 4.9% in 2008 to 1.6% in 2009. At the same time, the volume of trade, export revenue, investment rate, savings rate, FDI and international reserves also declined. The economic slow-down has hurt the already fragile employment environment in Africa, where workers are highly vulnerable and lack social safety nets. Changing this scenario will require rapid economic growth, particularly in labour-intensive sectors, such as agro-industry, manufacturing and export services, advises the report.
The “Africa Economic Report 2010″ is available at http://www.uneca.org/eca_resources/Publications/books/era2010/index.htm
[1] See the related adopted resolution : http://www.europarl.europa.eu/intcoop/acp/60_19/pdf/100640en.pdf
[2] See the related adopted resolution
[3] EU-ACP Parliamentary Assembly in Tenerife http://www.eurostep.org/wcm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1005&Itemid=158
[4] ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. Declaration on the EU-Latin America bananas agreement and its impact on ACP and EU banana producers. 1 April 2010.
[5] See “The future of European agriculture policy Call for a public debate”: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/419&format=HTM
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