Commission turns its back on ACP plea

Date:25/09/03

By David Cronin

THE European Commission is rejecting a plea from some of the world's poorest countries for a new accord on how trade negotiations should be conducted.

Trade ministers from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of 77 countries have agreed on key objectives for the forthcoming talks on developing so-called economic partnership agreements with the EU, due to commence next Thursday (2 October).

The ministers have stated that they want a binding agreement, applying to both the ACP and EU sides, laying down areas which will be subject to long-term negotiation at the "all EU-ACP level".

Anti-poverty advocates believe such an accord is necessary to ensure the cohesion of the ACP, which they fear could disintegrate when the EU starts talks on developing trade links with individual regions. This, they say, could happen when the "second phase" of EU-ACP trade talks begins after next week's discussions.

But the Commission has rejected the call, as the ACP bloc had previously agreed to have negotiations on a regional basis.

The European Commission has rejected a plea from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries for a new accord on how trade negotiations should be conducted.

http://www.acp-eu-trade.org/ http://www.acp-eu-trade.org/

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