The Courier

Gallus Quay, Ljubljana.

© Ljubljana Tourist Board Archive

The agenda in Slovenia’s capital was governance, democracy and human rights – with the crises in Chad and Kenya and the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) looming large in the background – , and it sparked heated debate between MEPS and parliamentarians from the ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) states. 

One positive sign was the JPA’s success in reaching agreement on the pressing issue of Kenya. The successful resolution of the crisis and Kofi Annan’s mediation were welcomed. Parliamentarians from the four continents called on Nairobi to ensure that violations of election law were “impartially and rigorously investigated.” At the same time they welcomed the political agreement reached at the highest level of the Kenyan state in an emergency resolution. Kofi Annan’s mediation was “proof that Africans are able to provide their own response to crisis,” declared Peya Mushelenga, a Namibian MP.

Failure over Chad

In contrast, Chad can only be described as a failure. The ACP camp, invoking the absence of any Chadian representative in the assembly, finally refused to approve a compromise text condemning President Idriss Déby’s repression of the unarmed opposition. This action was strongly disapproved of by many of their European colleagues, who saw it as an attempt at obstruction on the part of Chad. Also, they suggested, proof of the over-cautiousness of certain ACP parliamentarians, particularly when questions of human rights and governance are on the table.

German MEP Jürgen Schröder described it as “disappointing that they rejected such a balanced text,” especially one that condemned attacks by armed rebels against President Déby as well as the actions of the French NGO Arche de Zoé. “The country’s lasting stability must involve a political opening up to all these internal components,” warned Louis Michel. 

With his usual passion, Commissioner Michel stressed that good governance is precisely what the ACP countries need for development, and also pointed out that a strengthening of the state was a key aim for the Commission: “Strengthening the public institutions is the priority of our actions,” the Commissioner explained, citing as proof the big increase in the share of direct budgetary aid for the 2008-2013 period under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF). This means over the run of the 10th EDF, 47 per cent of funds will be allocated directly to ACP state budgets, enabling them to improve their public services in key sectors such as education and health. This new approach also implies increased responsibility by national governments in areas like human rights and democracy as well as engaging in a genuine political dialogue with the EU.   

The emphasis placed on the role of government was also intended to reassure parliamentarians engaged in negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). After the passion generated by this sensitive issue at the previous session in Kigali, Rwanda, in November 2007, the tension eased somewhat in Ljubljana, without fully dispelling concerns. “Conflict and contention has mired the whole EPA process,” summed up Glenys Kinnock, co-President of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, during the opening ceremony. Later, her ACP colleague, Wilkie Rasmussen, of the Cook Islands, drew attention to the consequences of European agricultural subsidies on the economies of poor countries and criticised the Commission’s negotiating strategy. 

Full EPAs

However, Commissioner Michel looked to the future to convince both African and Pacific countries to negotiate full EPA agreements modelled on the one already concluded by the Caribbean region. Following the signing of the so-called ‘interim’ agreements, in response to the WTO demands at the end of 2007, the European Union (EU) is now calling on the ACP countries to ratify the interim agreements and conclude EPAs. He also offered reassurance on the social consequences and the progressive nature of opening up to trade. “I am not a major champion of unfettered liberalisation”, declared Michel, restating the EU’s commitment to providing financial support for countries throughout the process of progressively opening up to world markets. His comments were backed up by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), which welcomed the EPA’s social chapter concluded with the Caribbean region and invited the African states to follow this example. Nevertheless, access to the marketplace is a “necessary, but insufficient condition for development”, explained Gérard Dantin, the EESC representative.

To allow the ACP economies to progressively strengthen their competitiveness before taking the ‘plunge’ into full to global competition, the Commission is focusing on regional integration. Michel is preparing a communication on the subject for September and has invited the ACP parliamentarians to express their opinions as part of the current public consultation process. Under the terms of the EPAs, the ACP countries will open up 80 per cent of their trade in goods over a 15-year transition period.  

However, the Ljubljana debates underlined that the subject was far from closed. “Many questions remain unanswered”, stressed Ali Farah Assoweh, Finance Minister of the Republic of Djibouti and President-in-Office of the ACP Council. He went on to set out a series of conditions for signing an EPA, including protection of the most sensitive sectors of the ACP economies and additional financing to support the transition to free trade. The road to full EPAs will remain “long and painful”, he forecast. 

After this first meeting in one of the ‘new’ Member States that joined the EU in 2004, the assembly will be turning to new horizons for its next session. However, the subjects on the agenda are likely to remain much the same – governance, development and trade. Indeed, the MPs, NGOs and Commissioners still have much to do to prove that EU-ACP relations are also “a union between peoples”, to cite Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament.

The next Assembly is scheduled for Port Morseby, Papua New Guinea, November 22 to 28 2008. 

* Brussels-based journalist