Today the EU and 79 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the
Pacific (ACP) group will begin negotiations on the future of
their cooperation after 2020. The ambition is to transform
today's partnership into a modern political framework geared to
deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.
The countries in the EU and the ACP represent more than half of
all UN member countries and unite over 1.5 billion people. The
current partnership, governed by the Cotonou agreement, is one of
the longest-standing and most comprehensive framework for
cooperation between the EU and developing countries. The current
agreement expires in 2020.
To mark the opening of the first round of political negotiations
in New York, in the margins of United Nations General Assembly,
the EU's Chief Negotiator, Commissioner for International
Cooperation and Development, , said: “The partnership
between the EU and the countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the
Pacific, is an asset for the EU and multilateralism at large. The
revision of the existing agreement is a great opportunity to
further deepen the partnership and modernise it in response to
global developments such as the UN 2030 Agenda or the Paris
Agreement on climate change."
In turn, Professor Robert Dussey, Minister for Foreign Affairs
and Cooperation of Togo and Chief negotiator for the ACP Group of
States, recalled that: “The connection between the ACP Group and
the EU was established in 1975 in first Article of the Georgetown
Agreement, the Constitutive Act of the ACP Group”. He underlined
that: “the ACP-EU partnership is a valuable and unique
achievement that has strengthened bonds between ACP and EU
peoples and countries throughout the last 45 years of its
existence. The opening of the negotiations today heralds the
continuity of trust and confidence cherished by parties to this
Partnership”.
The partnership seeks closer political cooperation on the world
stage to tackle major global challenges, aiming to be a shining
example of multilateralism as the cornerstone of a rule-based
world order. In concrete terms, this will notably mean working
jointly towards the Sustainable Development Goals. It will also
guide the partnership countries' joint efforts to address
pressing challenges such as climate change, migration and peace
and security. To have the intended impact, the future partnership
will adapt to the new realities in the European Union, Africa,
the Caribbean and the Pacific, taking into account geographical
specificities. The future partnership will aim at facilitating
strong alliance-building in global forums and address key issues
from which current and future generations alike can benefit.
