Signatories To The Cotonou Agreement

UNCTAD`s Work Programme on International Investment Agreements (IAA) actively supports policy makers, government officials and other IIA stakeholders in the IIA reform to make them more conducive to sustainable development and inclusive growth. International investment rules are established at bilateral, regional, inter-regional and multilateral levels. It requires policy makers, negotiators, civil society and other stakeholders to be well informed about foreign direct investment, international investment agreements (AI) and their effects on sustainable development. Key objectives of UNCTAD`s IIA work programme – Reform of the International Investment Agreements (IIA) regime to improve the dimension of sustainable development; A comprehensive analysis of key issues arising from the complexity of the international investment regime; Development of a wide range of instruments to support the development of a more balanced international investment policy. For the East and Southern Africa region, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe and Madagascar signed an EPA in 2009. The agreement has been implemented on an interim basis since 14 May 2012. Things have not been as simple as they were in 2000, when the Cotonou agreement came into force. “Africa and Europe want to develop and deepen their relations. But the African side also wants its priorities to be taken more into account,” says John Maré, who, as a South African diplomat, has negotiated several agreements with the EU. The Interim EPA between the EU and the Pacific ACP countries was signed in July 2009 by Papua New Guinea and Fiji in December 2009.

Papua New Guinea ratified it in May 2011. In July 2014, Fiji decided to begin provisional implementation of the agreement. Of the 14 Pacific countries, Papua New Guinea and Fiji account for the bulk of EU-Pacific trade. There is also a dispute over money. The Cotonou agreement also regulated financial relations. Over the past six years, OACPS has jointly received more than 30 billion euros ($35 billion) in development aid from Brussels. Governments in poor countries want this to continue. “THE ACP countries have insisted that a financial protocol be part of the convention,” says Keijzer. On the other hand, the EU is cautious and only wants to make general commitments. In the future, the money would come from the regular budget. However, this decision must be taken annually by the Member States.

A risk to OACPS. The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly is an advisory body made up equally of representatives from the EU and ACP countries. The Assembly promotes democratic processes and facilitates a better understanding between the peoples of the EU and those of the ACP countries. Issues related to development and the ACP-EU partnership, including economic partnership agreements, will also be discussed. The implementation of the Cotonou agreement has been extended until December 2020. The agreement was originally due to expire in February 2020, but as negotiations on the future agreement are still ongoing, this has been delayed until the end of the year. It is the most comprehensive partnership agreement between developing countries and the EU, covering EU relations with 79 countries, 48 of them from sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this procedure is to return to a normal relationship between the partners. In the absence of an agreement, the party that initiated the process can take action on cooperation projects and development assistance.

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