Written answers

Tuesday, 27 January 2009

Department of Foreign Affairs

International Agreements

9:00 pm

Photo of Kathleen LynchKathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason interim economic partnership agreements are being pursued for urgent agreement while regional economic partnership agreements are ongoing in relation to Africa. [1955/09]

Photo of Peter PowerPeter Power (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The EU opened negotiations for Economic Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States in September 2002. The negotiations were necessary following a World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruling that the unilateral trade preferences which the EU had granted to the ACP countries established unfair discrimination between developing countries. The negotiating mandate was derived from the legally-binding Cotonou Agreement between the EU and the ACP States in 2000, with the central objective of "reducing and eventually eradicating poverty, consistent with the objectives of sustainable development and the gradual integration of the ACP countries into the world economy".

The EU's objective was to conclude comprehensive Agreements with six regional groupings of the ACP States. However, following protracted and difficult negotiations, only one of the regional groupings, the Caribbean Forum of ACP States, was in a position to initial a full Agreement before the deadline of 31 December 2007 which had been established by the WTO. In order to avoid trade disruption, interim Agreements were initialled with 21 other ACP States. The finalisation of the signing of these interim Agreements is essential if the EU is to demonstrate that it has a WTO-compatible trading regime in place, which does not discriminate against non-ACP developing countries.

Negotiations for full Agreements are continuing. The Government has worked consistently to ensure that they should support the ACP countries' development needs and their poverty reduction programmes. At meetings of EU Development Ministers, I have stressed the importance of maintaining a flexible negotiating approach which supports the development needs of the ACP countries. I will continue to work with our EU partners, and with partner countries in the developing world, to ensure that the negotiations being led by the European Commission serve to strengthen the partnership with the African Caribbean and Pacific countries.

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