Meeting in Lomé for its 107th session on Wednesday 30 May, the Council of Ministers of the group of 79 ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) countries formally adopted its negotiation mandate for a renewed and updated post-Cotonou partnership with the EU when the Cotonou Agreement expires in February 2020.
The decision was adopted without debate, in time for the joint ACP-EU ministerial meeting that starts in the capital of Togo on Thursday 31 May. This negotiation mandate was approved by the ACP Council of Ministers on Tuesday. It was without surprise (see EUROPE 12026).
On the European side, by contrast, consultations were still ongoing on Wednesday in order to try and find a language of compromise on the only outstanding point – the migration chapter. The compromise needs to be able to accommodate the particular demands of Hungary and to be acceptable for all (see EUROPE 12028).
"The consultations are continuing", a senior European official told EUROPE. The Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers was not able to confirm at this stage whether the subject will be on the agenda of the meeting of the national ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) on 7 June.
During the meeting of European foreign affairs ministers on 28 May, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini expressed her hope that resolution of this issue would be a matter of just a few days. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)