The EU claims that there has been sufficient progress in the EPA negotiations
According to an EU press release the ACP-EU Council of Ministers took note of the progress which has been made since the start of the EPA negotiations in September 2002, although it acknowledged that 'some areas of divergence remain'. The EU for its part confirmed September 2003 as the date from which the second phase of negotiations with ACP regions and countries will start. The joint ACP-EU Council meeting took note of ACP concerns over sugar, bananas and rice as expressed in three formal ACP declarations. It was maintained that the wider market access following EU enlargement would benefit ACP countries. Comment: The ACP-EU Joint Council's observations on the progress of negotiations needs to be seen against the background of the Commission's refusal to negotiate agricultural issues as a separate area in the EPA negotiations, despite the centrality of agriculture to ACP-EU trade relations. This explains why ACP ministers felt compelled to issue formal declarations on sugar bananas and rice, for which the future of ACP exports to the EU looks bleak beyond 2008.
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| Format: | News Item biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
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Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
2003
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/52443 http://agritrade.cta.int/Back-issues/Agriculture-monthly-news-update/2003/July-2003 |
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