Foreign Affairs ministers from the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP) met in Brussels recently for the 93rd Session of the ACP council.
During its meeting the council endorsed the recommendations of the meeting of the ACP ministers in charge of fisheries which took place in Seychelles in November last year.
The report of the 2010 ministerial fisheries meeting was presented to the ACP council by Minister Peter Sinon as the current Chair of the ACP Fisheries Ministers’ meeting, who was also representing Minister Jean-Paul Adam at the council meeting.
Minister Sinon was accompanied by Seychelles’ ambassador in Brussels, Vivianne Fock Tave.
One important issue which the council of ministers debated upon was the future of the ACP Group. The ACP Group was formed in 1975 following the conclusion of the Group’s first convention with the European Community (now known as the European Union - EU).
As the current agreement governing the relations between the ACP Group of countries and the EU, the Cotonou Partnership Agreement signed in 2000, will come to an end in 2020, the ACP Group has found it imperative to analyse its relations with the EU and prepare for post 2020. The work of such an analysis has been tasked to a Working Group of Ambassadors on which Seychelles is a member.
“In preparation of the post 2020 Cotonou period, the ACP Group needs to engage in internal reflections as to how it can change the tide and remain an attractive and relevant partner for the EU,” Mr Sinon said.
“It must consider and identify its comparative and competitive advantages especially as an interlocutor with the EU and amongst ACP member states and other groupings. There is value in consolidating the aforementioned while building new critical partnerships with other relevant stakeholders. Important questions that need to be reflected upon are: Given the major shifts in the context of deepening and a rapid globalisation process, ‘where and how does the ACP Group fit in the new EU post Lisbon Treaty?’ To what extent the ACP Group needs to restructure and adapt itself to benefit from the new EU strategic orientations as well as position itself to interface with a changed and changing world economic order? In this light, who are the new emerging strategic partners with whom we have to deepen our networking based on a focused and forward-looking agenda that will result in fruitful dialogues and agreements to further negotiate and build win-win partnerships for further growth and development?” Minister Sinon noted.
0 comments :
Post a Comment