Extending cooperation
Cooperation WTO dialogue
The Cotonou Agreement envisages dialogue between the ACP and European Union (EU) countries in international bodies. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is one of those world stages where this widened cooperation is on display, the two partners finding common ground or begging to differ, according to the subject of debate. A particular example was Doha where the ACP States sought a waiver from WTO rules for the EU’s price guarantees for such commodities as ACP sugar and bananas.
The Headquarters of the World Trade Organization in Geneva.
© WTO
In principle, it was the European Commission that should have requested this point be on the WTO’s agenda. Due to a belated request the session began without this point included. Prior to the meeting, the ACP States had pursued quiet, but all-out diplomacy, sending sherpas to speak with the WTO main players and States that could be swayed.
Negotiating for the whole of the EU, Commissioner Pascal Lamy encouraged this initiative whilst urging ACP States not to shoulder the responsibility for the failure of the entire conference. On the final day of the meeting, the protest bloc of ACP-LDC-African Union, along with other less sizeable stumbling blocks, brought the conference to a standstill. As the biggest global forum post-September 11, Doha couldn’t be seen to be a failure. Everyone held their breath over the ensuing ACP-EU–Latin and Central America consultations over bananas. There were some heated exchanges between the negotiating parties with the European Commission bearing the brunt. In the end, however, an agreement was finally found within Cotonou; the EU gave more concessions to third countries and, in return, the waiver was given for goods.
