[toeslist] AU on EU FTAs
Riaz K Tayob
immediate resumption of negotiations on EPA at highest level
Brussels, 22/02/2008 (Agence Europe) - The African group of ambassadors
to Brussels has welcomed the appeal launched by the African Union
(AU) to reopen, at the highest level and without delay, discussions
on the economic partnerships agreements (EPA), in line with the
conclusions of the EU/Africa Summit of Lisbon last December. To
date, however, there is nothing to indicate that on the European
side, preparations to implement the promise made in Lisbon are
picking up speed.
A source close to the European Commission states that no date has
as yet been earmarked in the diary of Josi Manuel Barroso for the
organisation of a high-level meeting with the African leaders with
responsibility for negotiations for each of the four African regions
of the ACP (Africa/Caribbean/Pacific) group. At the EU/Africa Summit,
this consultation meeting at the highest level had been announced
for February 2008, with a view to facilitating the continuation of
negotiations, taking due account of the development and regional
integration concerns of the African countries.
In a press release published on 21 February, after a meeting given
over to the decisions of the tenth AU Summit, the African group of
ambassadors to Brussels welcomed the dynamic in which the AU has
committed to ensure the construction of a united and integrated
Africa standing together in solidarity and warmly welcomed the
decision of the AU Summit regarding EPA, which called, amongst other
things, "on the European Union and its Member States to reinforce
the negotiation mandate on the EPA of the European Commission, in
order to allow it to effectively achieve the development objectives
of the EPA". On the same occasion, the AU called on the regional
economic communities and the African negotiation groups which have
initialled provisional agreements to "ensure that the definitive
agreements which are to be signed are coherent with the regional
integration projects". Furthermore, the Heads of State and Government
of the AU reaffirmed the mandate of the Commission of the AU, tasking
it with the coordination, monitoring and harmonisation of the efforts
of the regional economic communities, and urging the "ministers of
the AU with responsibility for Trade and the African negotiators
to remain vigilant over the coming stages of the negotiations". The
ministers of the AU for Trade and Finance were called upon to "hold,
as soon as possible", a meeting to prepare for the EU/Africa
consultations at the highest level.
The African group of ambassadors to Brussels voiced their particular
satisfaction at the letter which Alpha Oumar Konari, the outgoing
president of the Commission of the AU, sent to his opposite number,
Josi Manuel Barroso, on 6 February, to draw his attention to the
opportunity to act with diligence for the reopening of negotiations.
In their declaration, the ambassadors voice their hopes that the
response of the European Commission to this letter would be favourable
to the resumption of negotiations on new bases, taking careful
account of the development and economic integration strategies
adopted by the continent by means of the Constitutive Act of the
African Union. The AU is currently rationalising African regional
organisations in such a way as to ensure that an individual State
belongs to just one regional organisation at once (CEDEAO, COMESA,
SADC, CEAC). "Unless we can negotiate between the EU and the AU
(the AU has no control over the African economies), then we must
at least ensure that the negotiations can take place under the aegis
of the AU or bear in mind its strategy to promote integration",
explained Cheikh Niang, of the representation of the AU to Brussels.
Sources close to Josi Manuel Barosso confirm that they had received
and encoded the letter from Alpha Oumar Konari on 21 February, but
no response had as yet been completed. (A.N.)
----------