Brussels, 20/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - For the first time, the Trade and Finance Ministers of the ACP group (Africa/Caribbean/Pacific), linked to the Union through the Cotonou Agreement, were meeting in Brussels Thursday and Friday (at the Charlemagne Building). They are preparing the summit of the ACP Heads of State scheduled for 18 and 19 July in Fiji, and trade negotiations with the Union that are to begin in Brussels on 27 September in view of concluding economic partnership agreements (EPAs), compatible with WTO rules and applicable in 2008.
On the agenda of this first joint meeting we find:
1) examination of preparatory issues for the new trade regime to be negotiated, which are the report of the ACP Ministerial Trade Committee, financial, economic and social aspects and the effects (financial, economic, social and other) of the future EPAs on ACP States, the strategy to adopt by the ACP States to take the trade factor into account in their development and their integration into the world economy, the elements for the draft ACP negotiating mandate that will be formally adopted by the ACP Council of Ministers (25-27 June, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic) in response to the negotiating mandate of the European side, recently approved by the foreign ministers of the Fifteen (see EUROPE of 17&18 June, p.9).
2) trade and financial issues which will be referred to the summit of ACP Heads of State, which are the analysis of the world economic and financial situation, the debt of the ACP countries, participation of ACP countries in international trade, and foreign direct investments in ACP economies.
At the end of their meeting, ACP Trade and Finance Ministers will have an exchange of views with the European Commissioner for Trade, Pascal Lamy and his counterpart for development policy, Poul Nielson. The 77 ACP countries and the European Union will have an opportunity to meet again to broach these subjects together at their joint Council of ministers of 28 June (Punta Cana).