The future of ACP-EU cooperation
What form will future cooperation between the EU and the ACP countries take? Glenys Kinnock, co-president of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA), responded to that question by considering the immediate future: finalising the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).
Tayo Fatunla, Untitled, 2007, Manifesta!
© Africa e Mediterraneo
Over the course of 2008, Glenys Kinnock will be following the progress of the EPA negotiations, observing that. so far. the agreements already signed with various ACP regions only concern trade in goods. Because of that it is still difficult to gauge what the impact of the agreements on the countries will be.
Kinnock also explains that the EPA negotiations have created a certain bitterness on the part of some ACP countries, and that if they were to perceive the slightest sense of betrayal, they could easily turn to other partners – China, India, or, in the case of the Caribbean countries, the United States.
Former French prime minister and member of the European Parliament, Michel Rocard thinks that it would be fitting if the conditions imposed on aid being made available focused primarily on issues like “putting an end to arbitrary arrests, the elimination of the use of torture in certain countries, independence of the judiciary and effective controls on the police”, because we must remember that “pluralistic democratic elections are the apotheosis of a system whose end point is democracy, but they are never the beginning”. “A dictatorship cannot be transformed into a democracy, but a dictatorship can be transformed into enlightened despotism, and represent a move forward that defines what follows,” concludes Rocard.
Referring to Africa in particular, Kinnock says she is convinced that relations with the EU will “grow and deepen”. “What we must do on the European side is quite simply take our responsibility seriously and work together to bring people out of poverty.” She adds, “Political will is all we need to secure change.” She points out that progress has already been made. Gross domestic product figures are rising, inflation is falling and the flow of direct foreign investment is increasing. Added to that, the percentage of primary school-aged children receiving full-time education in Africa has risen from 71% to 93% between 1991 and 2004. Kinnock emphasises the unique character of the Cotonou Agreement; she calls it a very special agreement, which links the two sides and defines many aspects of development.
As for the future of the ACP group itself, Glenys Kinnock asserts that the ACP countries are a strange hybrid. But the mixture is a mixture that works, resulting in a remarkable solidarity that shows during the JPA sessions. On his part, the former secretary general of the ACP group, Ghebray Berhane, says that in the past, the ACP countries wanted to convince themselves that the ACP’s raison d’être wasn’t necessarily the cooperation agreement with the EU, but the Georgetown Agreement. Unfortunately, they were unable to give the agreement sufficient substance as trade between regions was almost negligible. That said, he admits that during negotiations with the EU, the ACP countries came to realise that coming together with unified negotiating positions gave them a great advantage.
The new shape of cooperation with the EU, with its distinct agreements with different ACP regions, constitutes a major challenge. The ACP countries now need to find a new momentum and a new ambition in their discussions with Europe, whilst retaining their unity. This new momentum, says Berhane, will come in discussions on the major challenges that cannot be dealt with on a purely regional level, such as climate change or other global issues that confront all of us.
Former EU Director General for Development, Dieter Frisch points to a new reality that will undoubtedly characterise EU/ACP relations in the future: the politics of development are coming out of their isolation. Indeed, European interior ministers in charge of migration issues and their colleagues in foreign affairs are increasingly coming to recognise a common thread between immigration policies and development questions.
As a final word, former Senegalese trade minister, Seydina Oumar Sy, is of the opinion that Africa’s first priority is to reconsider the situation, take a good look at itself and begin to take the necessary steps to becoming a dependable partner in the global economy. Africa must take charge of its responsibilities and rely primarily on its own strengths. Only if Africa shows itself capable of producing sound and convincing plans, and is able to demonstrate a common willingness to succeed, will it, in his view, receive the necessary external support to complement its own efforts and make them effective.
The debate, of course, is still open.
