No consensus has emerged from the EU Council on the structure that the renewed partnership between the EU and the 78 countries of Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) will take after 2020, when the Cotonou Agreement expires (an agreement that was signed for 20 years between the two sides in 2000).
The European ministers or member state ambassadors to the EU, who took part in the Foreign Affairs Council (Development format) in Brussels on Monday 28 November, formulated general remarks, as a preliminary point, on the option recently favoured by the European Commission: a framework agreement, accompanied by tailor-made regional measures (see EUROPE 11675, 11673).
While everyone hailed the communication presented by the Commission on 22 November, two different trends were expressed.
Some member states, such as the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, would reportedly find it fitting to focus on regions by integrating countries that are not ACP countries, while other member states, such as France, Portugal and Italy which are more supportive of the specificity of the ACP Group, would prefer the future partnership, outside the 'all ACP' umbrella agreement, to continue to link the EU to ACP regions more strictly.
With no press conference being held after this session, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini briefly told EUROPE when she left for her meeting with the Indonesian foreign minister that "the discussion will be continued", both within the EU, to define its future negotiation position, "and with the ACP partners, to design the best boat in which to set off for our future relationship together".
This was the third exploratory exchange of views on the subject. "We still have time", Mogherini added. The negotiation mandate is planned for 2017 so that the negotiations can begin 18 months before 29 February 2020. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)