Brussels, 26/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - Six Pacific island states will soon be formally admitted as new members of the group of ACP countries (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific). The Council decided, without debate, to accept the Cook Islands, Republic of Nauru, Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Niue and the Federated States of Micronesia as signatories to the new partnership agreement between the ACP and the European Union, which will replace the present Lomé Convention (Revised Lomé IV).
This decision by the Council of EU Ministers came after the ACP ambassadorial committee had informed the Community of its clearance for such accessions. In order to make the agreement official, the parties to the current Convention will make a declaration, during the signing ceremony, confirming their acceptance of these countries as new signatories. This will bring to 77 the number of countries belonging to the ACP Group.
EUROPE recalls that the place and date of signature of the partnership agreement are not yet certain, because of the putsch in the Fiji Islands, which had been chosen as a country to host the signing ceremony, initially scheduled for 8 June this year.