EPA Negotiations To Be Different: Qarase

The negotiations for the future Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the European Union and the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) Group under the Cotonou Agreement, will be dramatically different from previous ACP-EU trade negotiations, said Chairman of the ACP group, Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase yesterday.

“These negotiations will no doubt have a profound effect on our economies and our future.”

Mr. Qarase said the ACP committed itself in signing the Cotonou Agreement, and its position has not changed.

“We reaffirm our decision to negotiate with our EU Partners, beginning this coming September, meaningful agreements that address decisively and adequately, our developmental needs.

“Development issues should therefore be demonstrably, at the core of any future partnership,” Mr. Qarase said.

“We reaffirm our genuine interest and commitment to a rules based multilateral trading system that supports, promotes and responds to our developmental needs; that provides and enhances certainty and security to a meaningful share in international trade by the ACP Group.

“The negotiations we committed ourselves to, should therefore take full account of our capacities to effectively participate.”

The provisions under which such negotiations take place are broadly stated in the Cotonou Partnership Agreement.

Mr. Qarase said inclusions of any new issues will require full understanding of their developmental implications, and should be agreed upon by all members.

He said that at the end of these negotiations, no ACP member state should be worse off.

Mr. Qarase said that any agreement that would be imbalanced and embody deficiencies that have adverse effects on our development and trade interests would therefore be unacceptable.