Heads of State and Government of ACP left Malabo hoping that the future would be better in spite of differences with the European Union.
Heads of State and Government from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries who attended the 7th
Summit of the organisation in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea from
13-14 December 2012 have taken the firm commitment to give a new lease
of life to the institution while insisting on negotiated agreement with
the European Union (EU) that does not seek to create division within
the ACP. Perhaps, the most important outcome of the 7th ACP
Summit could be the creation of an ACP Eminent Persons Group (EPG) to
work during 2013-14 to come out with new ideas and concepts to further
strengthen the organization and provide guidance for the future.
President
Paul Biya, who joined his peers on the shores of Sipopo in Malabo on 12
December 2012, left the Summit on Friday 14 December after making vital
contributions at the closed door panel discussions intended to reshape
the future of the ACP. Meeting on the theme: “The Future of the ACP
Group in a Changing World: Challenges and Opportunities”, the summit
set out to be a milestone for the 79-member bloc, which includes 40
Least Developed Countries and 36 Small Island Developing States.
At
the official opening ceremony on 13 December, seven speakers took turns
to point out the difficulties faced by the ACP especially by 2020 when
the Cotonou Agreement that has guided relations between the ACP and its
strategic partner, the EU, comes to an end. Furthermore, for about a
decade now, the ACP has been at cross roads with Europe over an
Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which partly calls for the
lifting of customs barriers for goods imported from the EU negotiated
on a country-by country basis. Such a move not only deprives most ACP
countries of vital revenue needed for development projects, but it also
creates division among ACP nations at a time when the trend ought to be
towards developing South-South cooperation.
ACP countries are
equally keen on moving away from the posture of receptacle that would
always move cap in hand in search of aid from Europe. Although the
Malabo Declaration was still being when the Summit ended on Friday, the
Council of Ministers’ meeting that held from 10-11 December, set the
tone of events in its final resolutions. It "called on the European
Union to refrain from taking any action that could have a seriously
adverse effect on ACP economies.”
The resolution and other
statements was in contrast to the speech by the EU Commissioner for
Development, Andris Piebalgs who pointed out at the opening ceremony
that, “We should not shy away from the fact that our approach to trade
relations with your countries has met with challenges and has not been
supported by all. We however, remain convinced that our approach is the
best way to promote trade and development in ACP countries and to
encourage regional integration, leading to integration into the world
economy.”
Yet, the ACP countries have been adamant that while
wanting to keep ties with the EU that are guided by history, culture
and geography, they must be able to look for new partners like the
BRICS countries (i.e. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
Host President, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo stated clearly at a press
conference to close the summit on Friday that ACP nations are not going
to the negotiating table empty handed. He said they have raw material
that can help the EU out of the current economic crisis and in return,
the ACP must be able to have the transfer of technology that can
facilitate the processing of raw material within its countries.
The
urge to ensure that any viable economic partner must be ready to help
ACP nations to progress must have accounted for the insistence on
“environment, climate change, food security and rural development in
the ACP countries,” as a key issue on the agenda of the Malabo Summit.
On this issue, like the question of the future of the ACP, President
Paul Biya insisted that while pursuing cooperation with the EU, ACP
countries had to keep in mind the importance of South-South cooperation
and outsourcing with other international development partners.
