![]()
***************************************************************
The acp-eu-trade.org newsletter -- No. 2/August 2006
***************************************************************
In this issue:
= = = = = = =
Three questions to…:
Tuukka Castrén, Senior Advisor on Development Policy of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
During Finnish Presidency, Tuukka Castrén is deeply involved with the Economic Partnership Agreements and aid effectiveness issues in the Ministry.
---
Focus on…:
The Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa (tralac)
by Robert Wilson, Capacity building Manager, tralac
---
Keeping Track...:
The Aid for Trade debate
---
News: Highlights of the Month
---
Selection from www.acp-eu-trade.org 's Library
---
Resources from Recent Events
= = = = = = =
Dear readers,
Welcome to the second issue of the acp-eu-trade.org newsletter and thank you for the encouraging feedback we received!
We appreciate any feedback on this newsletter and look forward to your reactions. You may send your comments to acpeutrade@ecdpm.org.
We also encourage ACP-EU stakeholders to participate in the various services provided via this website and exchange relevant information, build up trade negotiating capacity and facilitate networking activities. We therefore invite our readers to take an active role in www.acp-eu-trade.org by:
- Registering on-line as a trade and development expert to help mobilise the best expertise in ACP-EU trade and development matters and give interested parties easier access to information on relevant internationally recognized experts or consultants;
- Submitting relevant background and policy documents, news and links that will enrich the ACP-EU trade debate;
- Subscribing to our monthly newsletter as well as other partners’ to be kept informed of latest developments in the ACP-EU trade realm;
- Sharing your views on the current ACP-EU Trade debate and providing feedback on the relevance and future focus areas of www.acp-eu-trade.org
Enjoy your reading!
The acp-eu-trade.org website team
---
Three Questions to…
Tuukka Castrén, Senior Advisor on Development Policy of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
---
Tuukka Castrén is the Senior Advisor on Development Policy of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. During Finnish Presidency, he is deeply involved with the Economic Partnership Agreements and aid effectiveness issues in the Ministry.
What role can Member States play in the Commission-driven EPA negotiations, in particular during presidency?
It is true that the actual negotiations are carried out by the Commission based on the mandate from the year 2002. However, this is not to say that member states are totally out of the picture. The mandate has been given by the member states and therefore we appreciate the constant cooperation and information from the Commission on progress being made both in the six negotiating regions themselves and at the all-ACP level. During the presidency we have a special responsibility to act as an interlocutor on EPA issues for the member states, the Commission and not least for the ACP states and organisations.
It has become increasingly important to recognise that once the EPA negotiations are completed by the end of 2007, the hard work actually only begins. The implementation of the agreements will be a challenge and requires much work and innovation both from the ACP and EU side. Here the presidency has a special task to keep up the topic and involve the Council in the preparations for the implementation period.
Naturally, all member states, not only presidency, should have an open dialogue on the EPAs with the ACP countries, as well as with the business community representatives and other civil society bodies in our own countries. This would provide information and clarify the public understanding on what are the contents and objectives of EPAs. It would also be valuable for mutual confidence building. Participation in the Regional Preparatory Task Forces (RPTF) would be one option for this.
What are the main objectives of the Finnish presidency for the EPA negotiations?
Finland has since the beginning of the process emphasised the role of EPAs as an instrument for development in the ACP countries. This primary position has not changed. During our presidency we will keep the topic on the agenda, there is no need to change the position during the presidency.
The October General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) will be a development oriented one and includes a joint session by the EU trade ministers and development ministers. This has been initiated by the Finnish minister who has a joint responsibility for both trade and development. It is also timely in terms of the WTO Aid for trade-task force that submits its report still this summer.
Our view is that there are strong linkages between the EPA process and the wider aid-for-trade agenda. Basically one could argue that in their core substance they are the same: how to ensure that developing countries – and particularly the ACP countries – benefit from the global economic integration. Therefore our objective is to emphasise the role of trade integration in national development. We also do recognise that it is not an easy process and developing countries need to have adequate safeguards and flexibility e.g. in terms of asymmetric timing in liberalisation. We also need to ensure that the other aspects are development friendly. For example the rules of origin have a huge impact on the development impact of all preferential trade agreements. They may appear technical in nature, but need to be addressed also from the development perspective.
We would like to emphasise that also member states' development aid could be linked to EPA implementation. Actually already much of the private and productive sectors and infrastructure support is EPA-relevant. All aid should, however, adhere to the Paris declaration principles of effective development aid.
What are the Finnish presidency's views on the review of the EPA negotiations that should be taking place by the end of 2006, according to the Cotonou Agreement?
The negotiations have been going on for a number of years now and progress has been made. All the participants, from the ACP side member states and regional negotiating bodies as well as the Commission and the member states from the EU, agree that the EPAs are a fundamental element in the EU–ACP partnership. The EPA-process is extensive and therefore time consuming. Therefore we find it extremely useful to have the review at this stage. It should provide valuable information on the situation and progress made, on various issues related to the development dimension but also on the trade aspects. Since the review will be such a vital component in the EPA process, during our presidency we will – together with the Commission – keep the member states informed through the appropriate Council working groups.
Furthermore, I would like to raise a specific point from a member state perspective: the review should also cover the RPTFs, as these task forces are crucial bodies, when discussing the potential support by the member states to the implementation of EPAs, including EPA-related development aid.
As we see it, the main goal for the review should be to guide on the pace, timing and contents of the negotiations in the coming year. As we know, the negotiations will need to be finished by the end of 2007. Therefore the review should provide inputs for the final stages. Finland is particularly happy that both sides of the negotiations have shown great interest in the review and that it will be a joint ACP–EU exercise.
Tuukka Castrén
Department for Development Policy
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
P.O. Box 176 (Katajanokanlaituri 3),
FIN-00161
Helsinki, Finland
Tel. +358-9-160 56344
Fax. +358-9-160 56428
email : tuukka.castren@formin.fi
---
Focus On...
The Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa (Tralac)
---
by Robert Wilson
Capacity building Manager,
tralac - Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa
P.O. Box 224, Stellenbosch, 7599, South Africa
Tel: +27 21 883 2208
Fax: +27 21 883 8292
E-mail: robertwilson@tralac.org
The Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa (tralac) promotes individual and institutional capacity in southern and east Africa relating to international trade. tralac is guided by the regional imperatives of development and governance and is distinguished by its multi-disciplinary approach.
tralac’s EPA project deals with the SADC-7 and the ESA EPA configurations. Negotiations between these groups and the EU include a number of complex and contested issues. Matters are complicated further by the Trade Development and Cooperation Agreement between South Africa and the EU, the EU’s Everything But Arms initiative, as well as the fact that members of the SADC-7 and ESA groups are also members of various trade arrangements within the region. The current status of the WTO negotiations, as well as proposed trade agreements between the Southern African Customs Union and countries such as China and India, are also likely to complicate these negotiations.
tralac addresses these and other issues by publishing working papers, trade briefs and a weekly e-newsletter. tralac also conducts various courses, seminars, workshops and conferences. tralac furthermore contributes articles and commentary to the media, undertakes commissioned research and makes presentations at numerous events.
These activities are promoted through tralac’s highly acclaimed website, which includes a section dedicated to the EPAs. Resources such as papers, treaties, tralac publications, news items and discussion notes can be found there.
tralac’s annual conference in Octoberwill focus on the EPAs. Further information regarding this conference as well as two ancillary workshops relating to competition and intellectual property can be found at tralac’s home page.
* tralac’s website: http://www.tralac.org
* tralac’s EPA page: http://epa.tralac.org
* tralac has suggested the following papers:
Working Papers:
-> Naumann, E., December 2005. Rules of Origin under EPAs: Key issues and new directions. (tralac Working Paper No 9/2005). Stellenbosch : tralac.
-> Bruckner, G.K., October 2005. An evaluation of the alternatives and possibilities for countries in sub-Saharan Africa to meet the sanitary standards for entry into the international trade in animals and animal products . (tralac Working Paper No 6/2005). Stellenbosch : tralac.
-> Naumann, E. March 2005. Textiles and clothing: Reflections on the sector’s integration into the post-quota environment. (tralac Working Paper No 1/2005). Stellenbosch : tralac.
Trade Briefs:
-> Grant, C., May 2006. Southern Africa and the European Union: the TDCA and SADC EPA. (tralac Trade Brief No 1/2006). Stellenbosch : tralac.
-> Grant, C., November 2005. Geographical Indications: Implications for Africa. (tralac Trade Brief No 6/2005). Stellenbosch : tralac.
-> Ponte, S., Nielsen, J.R., Campling, L. September 2005. Trade and competitiveness in African Fish Exports: Impacts of WTO and EU negotiations and regulation. (tralac Trade Brief No 5/2005). Stellenbosch : tralac.
-> Sandrey, R. May 2005. Trade after Preferences: a New Adjustment Partnership? (tralac Trade Brief No 1/2005). Stellenbosch : tralac.
---
Keeping Track...
The Aid for Trade debate
---
Developing countries often lack the capacity to benefit from the opportunities offered by the multilateral trading system and to deal with the costs related to their participation therein. Increasingly in recent years, the international community has recognised the need for trade-related capacity building (in the widest sense) and has launched several initiatives to address the supply-side constraints as well as the infrastructural and institutional weaknesses of developing economies. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Declaration at Hong Kong, China, in December 2005 further acknowledged the importance of Aid for Trade in its paragraph 57, and asked the WTO Director General to create a task force to make recommendations on how it could be operationalised. This Task Force has issued its Recommendations at the General Council of the WTO held on the 27th and 28th of July. The General Council agreed to revert to this matter at the next meeting (scheduled for October) to consider the follow up to the report and its recommendations. However, with the recent collapse of the Doha Round trade talks and their indefinite suspension, it is likely that the Aid for Trade debate will move more rapidly in fora such as the World Bank/International Monetary Fund meetings to support individual national or regional programmes on Aid for Trade as well as the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) negotiations.
Latest developments
----------------------------
* 27-07-06: WTO General Council supports suspension of trade talks, Task force submits "Aid for Trade" recommendations
WTO News, Summary of the 27-28 July General Council
The General Council, at its meeting on 27-28 July 2006, supported a recommendation by Director-General Pascal Lamy to suspend the Doha negotiations. The Task Force on Aid for Trade submitted its report and recommendations aimed at helping developing countries increase exports of goods and services.
[click here to read more]
* 26-07-06: Doha Round suspended indefinitely after G-6 talk collapse
ICTSD's Bridges Weekly Digest, Vol. 10, Number 27, 26 July 2006
The Doha Round of trade negotiations was put into deep freeze on 24 July, after a meeting of ministers from six key trading nations collapsed over divisions on how to cut farm subsidies and tariffs. It is not clear when -- or if -- the talks, which started nearly five years ago, will resume. There is no timetable for doing so. Kamal Nath, India's commerce minister, said that the round, though not dead, "is between intensive care and the crematorium."
[click here to read more]
* 26-07-06: With Round in disarray, Mandelson proposes carving out 'Development package'
ICTSD's Bridges Weekly Digest, Vol. 10, Number 27, 26 July 2006
With the Doha Round trade talks suspended indefinitely following the collapse of high-level discussions in Geneva, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson called on 25 July for "extract[ing] from the rubble of the negotiation a significant development package" aimed at benefiting "the most needy developing countries."
[click here to read more]
* 18-07-06: "Financing economic and trade reform in the context of liberalisation: conceptualising and accessing aid for trade"
This high-level meeting organised by the Government of Mauritius provides an example of individual national initiatives to take further and to operationalise Aid for Trade. In this respect, the Government of Mauritius issued a Concept note on “Financing economic and trade reform in the context of liberalisation: conceptualising and accessing aid for trade”, with special reference to the European Union. To obtain this concept note or for more information, you can contact the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development of the Republic of Mauritius.
-> Closing speech of Madan Dulloo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation of Mauritius.
Below, you will find a selection of sources of information to keep track of the Aid for Trade debate
Official sources:
----------------------
* The World Trade Organisation's (WTO) Aid for Trade page, with a database of official documents and submissions on Aid for Trade
* The African Union's Commission proposal on the WTO Aid for Trade initiative
* The Integrated Framework for Least Developed Countries (IF)
The Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to least-developed countries (IF) is a multi-agency, multi-donor program that assists the least developed countries to expand their participation in the global economy whereby enhancing their economic growth and poverty reduction strategies. The IF program was first mandated by WTO Singapore Ministerial Conference in December 1996. The participating agencies are IMF, ITC, UNCTAD, UNDP, World Bank and the WTO.
See also
IF management bodies adopt recommendations on an enhanced IF
WTO News - 5 July 2006
The two IF management bodies, the IF Working Group and the IF Steering Committee adopted, on 5 July, the recommendations for an enhanced Integrated Framework.
[click here to read more]
* The Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme (JITAP) - A partnership for Trade development in Africa
JITAP - the Joint Integrated Technical Assistance Programme - mobilizes the expertise and support of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) to help African country partners benefit from the new Multilateral Trading System.
(also available in French)
* The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Trade Integration Mechanism (TIM)
The Trade Integration Mechanism (TIM) was introduced in April 2004 to assist member countries to meet balance of payments shortfalls that might result from multilateral trade liberalization. The TIM is not a special lending facility, but rather a policy designed to make resources more predictably available under existing IMF facilities.
Internet resources:
-------------------------
* International Lawyers and Economists Against Poverty - ILEAP
ILEAP is currently focussing on Aid for Trade and has published a series of briefs and papers on this topic, over the last few months
(also available in French)
* The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) page on Aid for Trade
See also: ODI's Aid for Trade References Database
Other sources:
--------------------
*Aid for Trade and Capacity Building: the case of SPS standards and developing countries, Gideon Rabinowitz, CUTS International (London), Trade Negotiations Insights, Vol. 5, No.1, January-February 2006 EN FR
*The Development dimension of EPAs and International Aid for Trade, San Bilal and Francesco Rampa, Trade Negotiations Insights, Vol.4, No. 6, November-December 2005 EN FR
*T.R.A.D.E. Policy Brief No.2 on Aid for Trade, The South Centre EN FR
Keep an eye on:
----------------------
* The 2006 Annual meetings of Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group, September 19-20, 2006, Singapore, where Aid for Trade will most probably be discussed
*The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) scheduled on October 1, 2006 will focus on trade and development. The main issue is actually Aid for Trade as the EU will need to respond to the task force report on this. They will also no doubt discuss EPAs.
* ECDPM is currently conducting a joint research with the South Centre and will subsequently publish a paper on Aid for Trade. The research will identify: lessons from multilateral Aid for Trade schemes (e.g. the Integrated Framework, the IMF TIM, etc.) and how they relate to the latest proposals on AfT; lessons in general from Cotonou trade-related development cooperation instruments and how they relate to current proposals on development support to EPAs; recommendations, including on how to link the WTO and EPA processes.
Find background information and more resources on the Aid for Trade debate on www.acp-eu-trade.org
---
News: Highlights of the Month
---
From our News section
---------------------------
* 14-07-06: EC acknowledges EPA problems
The EC is publicly acknowledging, for perhaps the first time, that there are problems that need to be addressed in the EPA negotiations. Karl Falkenberg reportedly said so in the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee meeting on EPAs this week.
* 14-07-06: Finnish EU Presidency to EP Development Committee on EPAs
Report of the 11 July European Parliament’s Development Committee address by the Finnish EU Presidency. The presentation covered DCECI, aid effectiveness; implementation of Africa strategy; EPAs financing.
Address by Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paula Lehtomäki in the Development Committee of the European Parliament (DEVE), 11 July 2006
* 14-07-07: Reassigning EDF. EC Decision
Decision No 2/2006 of the ACP-EC Council of Ministers of 2 June 2006 on re-assigning part of the reserve of the long-term development envelope of the 9th European Development Fund (EDF), including on sugar measures.
* 07-07-06: Towards an EU-South Africa Strategic Partnership
Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament
Towards an EU-South Africa Strategic Partnership
* 07-07-06: Revision of the South Africa TDCA
Communication from the Commission to the Council and to the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council to give orientation to the Commission for the revision of the Agreement on Trade, Development and Cooperation between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of South Africa, of the other part.
* 07-07-06: ECOWAS-EC EPA – No EPA without investment rules and full reciprocity, Falkenberg insists!
Third World Network Africa, Press release – 29 June 2006
ACCRA, Ghana—(TWN-Af)—Karl Falkenberg, Deputy Director-General of Trade at the European Commission, says its is not worth having an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and ECOWAS if the Agreement did not enshrine Free Trade Agreement-style full reciprocity between the parties and liberalised rules for Investment.
[click here to read more]
* 03-07-06 Informal meeting of EU Directors-General for Development
Informal meeting of EU Directors-General for Development (Brussels, 21-22 June 2006). They held an exchange of views in which reportedly the German director was vocal in his criticisms of the new DG Trade DGs views that EPAs are a trade, not a development, agreement.
ACP/EU News providers
-----------------------------
* 27-07-06: A gulf between rhetoric and reality
The View from Europe, Starbroek News, Guyana
DEVELOPMENT is a word much loved by European politicians. It connects them to voters in a feel-good manner that embraces NGOs, rock stars and youth culture. Its populism has become a part of the vocabulary of political positioning and the arsenal of spin.
[click here to read more]
* 26-07-06: Oxfam to launch anti-EPAs campaign Wednesday
Angola Press, Angola
THE international NGO, Oxfam will officially launch a campaign on Wednesday against talks on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) set for signing between the EU and ACP countries.
[click here to read more]
* 24-07-06: No tax talks with the EU
Nationnews.com, Barbados
HANDS OFF national taxation policies. That is the message Barbados and other Caribbean countries have sent to the European Union, which wants to include taxation and other non-trade issues in talks leading to an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with a number of developing countries.
[click here to read more]
* 20-07-06: EU boosts Malawi trade
Nation Reporter, Malawi
THE European Commission (EC) has given Malawi 1.6 million euros to help the country build capacity for effective negotiation of a new trade and economic pact with Europe.
[click here to read more]
* 13-07-06: European Commission launches an EU-Africa partnership to develop trans-African connections
EUROPA Press Release, Brussels, Belgium
THE European Commission has today approved a proposal for a partnership on infrastructure between the European Union and Africa. The Partnership aims to respond to the objectives set out by the African Union and NEPAD. A total of €5.6 billion from the 10th European Development Fund (EDF, 2008-2013) will support regional development in four priority areas: transport, energy, water, and information technology and telecommunication networks.
[click here to read more]
* 10-07-06:Tanzania in precarious position over trade pact
The EastAfrican, Kenya
TANZANIA is lagging behind in preparing to sign a deal that will determine how it trades with Europe for a long time to come. Only a few months remain before the end of negotiations for a new Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the European Union.
[click here to read more]
* 05-07-06: EPAs: With eighteen months to go, uncertainty remains
ICTSD, Bridges Weekly Digest, Vol. 10 Number 24, Geneva, Switzerland
The EU and the group of African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) ministers disagreed sharply over a framework for reviewing their economic partnership agreement negotiations at a joint ministerial meeting in Brussels on 28 June.
[click here to read more]
* 07-06: Pacific States work on deal with Europe
Islands Business, Fiji/Pacific Islands
ONE plus four looks like a simple mathematical equation. But Pacific trade negotiators will be quick to tell you that it is everything but simple. It is the proposal islands countries are hoping will form part of their economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union.
[click here to read more]
---
Selection from www.acp-eu-trade.org 's Library
---
* La négociation des accords de partenariat économique avec les pays d'Afrique, des Caraïbes et du Pacifique
Assemblée Nationale française, Rapport d'information No. 3251 déposé par la délégation de l'Assemblée nationale pour l'Union européenne, 5 juillet 2006
Pourquoi l'Europe négocie-t-elle avec le plus vaste ensemble de pays pauvres de la planète des accords de libre-échange, dits "accords de partenariat économique" (APE), devant entrer en vigueur le 1er janvier 2008? Une étude approfondie des négociations en cours, sous la seule impulsion de la Commission, aboutit à un constat: elles constituent un exercice surréaliste et navrant, à plusieurs titres.
[read the summary of the report and the conclusions adopted by the delegation in English]
* The 'Development Dimension': matching problems and solutions
Briefing Paper 6 – Overseas Development Institute (ODI) - June 2006
This Briefing Paper asks the questions: what are the problems common to the countries in the negotiating regions, and what sort of EPA provision would be appropriate to them?
* The potential effects of Economic Partnership Agreements: What quantitative models say
Briefing Paper 5 - Overseas Development Institute (ODI) - June 2006
This Briefing Paper sketches the main potential channels through which the economic effects of an EPA may come about and reviews the results of several modeling studies which have already been undertaken to assess these effects. When interpreting the results, [the paper] will also outline the limitations of these models.
* Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs): Where We Are
Briefing Paper 4 - Overseas Development Institute (ODI) - June 2006
This Briefing Paper explains what details are needed to assess the impact of “reciprocity” and why it is essential that they are fully discussed with ACP stakeholders – which is why the endgame is not rushed.
* Economic Partnership Agreements: Questions and Answers
European Commission – June 2006
This document offers some clarifications on a few misconceptions about the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), from the viewpoint of the European Commission.
* The Institutional Challenge of the ACP/EU Economic Partnership Agreements
Axel Borrmann and Matthias Busse – Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWA) – 2006
This paper argues that institutional quality plays a key role in a successful trade liberalisation. In fact, only countries with high-quality institutions, partly in the form of good government regulations, are likely to benefit from trade. Unfortunately, the vast majority of African ACP countries have excessive regulations that hinder them from taking advantage of trade. For the necessary institutional reforms to resolve this problem, we will discuss a number of important issues that have to be addressed to enable ACP countries to take full advantage of EPAs.
* Effects of Bilateral Trade Agreements on the Multilateral Trading Arena: special consideration of EPA between EU and ACP countries
Martha Belete Hailu - Presented at the 9th Annual Conference on Global Economic Analysis, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Centre for Global Trade Analysis at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC); 15-17 June 2006 – June 2006
This paper discusses some concepts as well as legal issues related to the Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and ACP countries. The first section will deal with the principles of world trading system and GATT Article XXIV exception. Section II focuses on the trade relationship that existed between the EU and ACP countries, and examines the different issues underpinned in EPAs. Section three, which is the last section, will try to see the implication of EPAs on the multilateral trading arena.
---
Resources from Recent Events
---
* Event: Finnish Government pre-EU Presidency
Date: July 1 to December 31, 2006
Resources: Finland’s EU Presidency website
* Event: EPAs 2006 – Decision Year - Progress and challenges on the negotiation of economic partnership agreement
Date: July 5, 2006
Resources:
-> Meeting's page
-> Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs): Where We Are
-> The Potential Effects of Economic Partnership Agreements: What Quantitative Models Say
-> The ‘Development Dimension’: Matching Problems and Solutions
* Event: Meeting of the ACP and ACP-EC Ministerial Trade Committees
Date: June 26 to June 28, 2006
The meetings took stock of the EPA negotiations and reviewed progress in the WTO negotiations. EPA discussions focussed on the terms of reference for this year’s EPA review with divergence on the process and how to interpret “comprehensive review”. The ACP-EU Committee of Ambassadors was delegated to clarify this and agree terms of reference next week. There were reportedly sharp words exchanged between ACP MTC Co-Chair Billie Miller and EC Trade Commissioner Mandelson on the development aspects of EPAs (following on from a terse exchange at the ACP-EU Joint Assembly the week before).
Resources:
->Documentation for the 11th Meeting of the ACP Ministerial Trade Committee
->Opening Statement by the Chair - Hon. Dame Billie Miller, Senior Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados
->Communique issued by the ACP Ministerial Trade Committee on the WTO Round EN FR
-> EPAs: Remarks to ACP Ministers - Peter Mandelson, EU Trade Commissioner
* Event: ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
Date: June 17 to June 23, 2006
Speeches from Commissioner Mandelson and Billie Miller on EPAs are noteworthy. Commissioner Mandelson forcefully replied to Miller’s accusations on the delivering of development aspects of EPAs.
Resources:
-> Home page of the ACP-EU Assembly in Vienna EN FR
-> Dame Billie Miller's speech
-> Peter Mandelson's speech
-> Meeting of the Working Group on the EPAs
* Upcoming event: EU Trade and Development Ministers
Date: October 16 to October 17, 2006
EU Trade and Development Ministers will meet in Luxembourg to discuss Aid for Trade and EPAs.
See our "Keeping track" section on the Aid for Trade debate for background information.
Check our website for more events and resources! http://www.acp-eu-trade.org
= = = = = = =
If you do not wish to receive this newsletter in the future, unsubscribe by sending an email with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line to acpeutrade@ecdpm.org
****************************************
Copyright @ ECDPM, 2006