By Elishya Perera
BRUSSELS, Belgium (CWBN)_ The Caribbean welcomes the new political agreement formed between the chief negotiators for the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP).
The Cotonou Agreement, which focuses on development cooperation, economic and trade cooperation, and the political dimension between the two parties, was due to expire in February this year. However, the application of the Agreement was extended to December 2020.
Following over two years of negotiations, a post-Cotonou Agreement, along with a Caribbean Regional Protocol, was announced on Thursday (Dec 3), at the 10th Meeting of Chief Negotiators of the OACPS/EU post-Cotonou Agreement.
“[…] let us ensure that this landmark agreement is effectively implemented in a manner that takes the OACPS-EU relationship to a higher level, that enables the Caribbean-EU partnership to realise its full potential and advances sustainable development in all our regions, and further sustains intra-OACPS cooperation,” Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith said.
The ambassadorial negotiators of the Caribbean and their EU counterparts had previously reached an agreement on three challenging issues; sexual and reproductive health and rights, threat of sea level rising, and development of Caribbean international business and financial services. And according to Johnson Smith, the new Caribbean Regional Protocol concluded two other outstanding issues, namely, seabed mineral resources and migration and mobility.
The ACP Group comprises of 48 African, 16 the Caribbean and 15 Pacific sovereign independent states, and its cooperation with the EU has been adapted to new challenges such as climate change, food security, regional integration, state fragility and aid effectiveness.
The Cotonou Agreement, which was signed between the two parties in June 2000, is regarded as the most comprehensive partnership agreement between developing countries and the EU.
