Little progress was made in the brief exchange of views among European development ministers in Brussels on Friday 19 May on the terms of future partnership between the EU and the ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) group of countries after 2020, when the Cotonou Agreement expires.
The European Commission’s preferred option is a framework agreement with tailored bilateral agreements with each of the three regions. Ministers stressed that this “umbrella” agreement and the bilateral agreements would have to be in line with the universal sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations in September 2015.
The geographical scope of the future framework agreement was discussed, with some countries, such as Germany and Denmark, calling for it to be as wide as possible. Germany said that it would like the partnership to be extended to other developing countries which are not members of the ACP group. “We have to get over the distinction between ACP and non-ACP countries. There is, on the one hand, Africa and, on the other, the ACP countries. We want this framework to be open to other countries, such as the small island states and the countries of North Africa”, German Parliamentary Secretary of State Thomas Silberhorn told the press. Denmark argued that there should be no difference of treatment between the ACP countries and “the other partner countries”.
French Ambassador Pierre Selal stressed the major achievement that the partnership between the EU and the 78 ACP countries represents and he argued for an equivalent agreement for the future relationship.
The Bulgarian minister, whose country will hold the presidency of the Council of Ministers, when negotiations are scheduled to conclude, pledged to reach an agreement by early 2019. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)