BRUSSELS, May 20, CMC – A report on the ongoing negotiations between the European Union and the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states will be presented at the 109th session of the ACP Council of Ministers meeting that begins here on Tuesday.

The ACP chief negotiator, Professor. Robert Dussey, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Integration of Togo, will present the report to the Council for approval and guidance on the way forward,’ the ACP Secretariat said in a statement.

The ACP-EU are negotiating a successor accord to the Cotonou Agreement that was signed in June 2000 in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city. It entered into force in 2003 and was subsequently revised in 2005 and 2010. It is regarded as the most comprehensive partnership agreement between developing countries and the EU and in 2010, ACP-EU cooperation has been adapted to new challenges such as climate change, food security, regional integration, state fragility and aid effectiveness.

The fundamental principles of the Cotonou Agreement include equality of partners, global participation, dialogue and regionalisation. Earlier this month, the EU issued a statement regarding the “New ACP-EU Partnership after 2020,” noting that it intends to build on the lessons learned during “our 44 years of cooperation and making the most of the new context, the future agreement can bring unprecedented opportunities.

“By setting up a powerful political alliance, the EU and its partners will be in a position to develop solutions to the challenges faced in each region. These include growth and job creation, human development and peace, migration and security issues.”

It said, many of today’s challenges of a global dimension require a concerted, multilateral approach, in order to achieve tangible results. “In 2015 we set up a successful coalition that ultimately led to the conclusion of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

This shows that the ACP-EU partnership has the power to provide valuable responses to global challenges. If we join forces, we can form a majority worldwide, as the EU and ACP countries represent more than half of the UN membership. Together, we can make a difference and set a global agenda in international forums,” the EU added.

The ACP Secretariat said that the meeting here on Tuesday will be attended by officials from 79 ACP countries “to take decisions on key development issues, as well as institutional matters involving the future of the organisation.” The first ministerial meeting for 2019 will be chaired by Tjekero Tweya, Minister of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development of Namibia.

The ACP Council meeting will be followed on May 23-24 by the 44th session of the ACP-EC Council of Ministers. “Several important topics are expected to be discussed including the ACP-EU post-Cotonou negotiations and the state of play of the Brexit process,” the ACP Secretariat said.