Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 90: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will work with his EU colleagues to achieve changes to the European Commission's proposals for economic partnership agreements to reduce the negative impact of EPAs upon developing countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11531/05]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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The economic partnership agreements, EPAs, which are to enter into force by 1 January 2008, are an integral element of the legally-binding Cotonou Agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific, ACP, states and the European Union.

Economic partnership agreements are first and foremost instruments for development that will foster the smooth and gradual integration of ACP states into the world economy, with due regard for their own political choices and their own development priorities, thereby promoting their sustainable development and contributing to poverty eradication in the ACP countries. They combine trade and wider development issues in a unified framework, while taking account of the specific economic, social and environmental circumstances of each regional group and its component states.

As trade is a European Community competence, it is the European Commission which conducts the negotiations on the EPAs between the EU and six regional groupings of ACP states on behalf of the member states. The Commission provides the Council with regular updates on the progress of the negotiations.

Ireland is satisfied that the Commission is discharging its mandate in accordance with the provisions of the Cotonou Agreement and in a manner which is sensitive to the particular concerns of the ACP states. We are actively following the developments in the EPA negotiations process and will continue to do so.