The challenges for the Cotonou Partnership Agreement

1
The challenges for the Cotonou Partnership
Agreement

• Concord Cotonou Working Group

2
Challenges for the political dialogue

• Change of political focus (AU, Pacific Forum,
  sub-regions,...). CPA is downgraded
• On EU side, lack of engagement and interest for
  the ACP-EU political dialogue
• Lack of unity and forward looking approach on the
  ACP side
• Competition with and pressure from other dialogue
  processes that are more visible and easier
• CPA in the hands of bureaucrats and procedures
  taking over on political decisions
• Lack of visibility, transparency and democratic
  control on EU-ACP dialogue and cooperation
• Difficulty and lack of confidence in EPA
  negotiations

3
Future of the ACP group is questioned

• ACP group has a real potential 79 membres, long
  standing institutions, priviledged agreement and
  possibility to join-up with EU, good
  representation in Brussels and Geneva,
• But does not use it no visibility outside CPA,
  lack of unity and cohesion, lack of negotiating
  capacities, no clear democratic mandate, lack of
  all-ACP coordinated Civil society

4
No real ACP-EU partnership

• Dependency of ACP states on EU aid puts them in
  weak negotiating position (e.g. EPA)
• Diversity inside the group
• Development level, depth of regional integration
• Economic interest vis-a-vis the EU and regional
  political weight
• Historical links with EU MS,
• EU much stronger economic and political actor
• Contradictory MS positions and dividing role of
  EU/EC or certain MS (EPAs, double standards in
  political conditionalities and security policy)

5
EPAs and regional integration

• Hard negotiations and reluctance on EC side to
  take ACP positions into account affected the
  trust between partners and induced anti-EU
  feelings in populations.
• Hasty signature of interim agreements with
  negative impact on regional integration
• EU not ready to allocate fresh money for
  adjustment costs
• Translation of market oriented development
  priorities in CSPs at expenses of social sectors
• Incidence on the institutional framework with
  multiplication of sub-regional entities

6

• Trade negotiations are de-linked form two other
  pillars (pol dialogue and deve)
• EPAs are there to stay but Cotonou stops in 2020
• Disintegrated model where aid compensates for
  negative impact of liberalisation
• For ACP countries, high uncertainty on the future
  of EDF and post Cotonou era

7
EDF budgetisation, one more step in
desintegration path?

• Old unsolved debate between MS that fear to pay
  more and those that expect to pay less
• EC has technical and administrative arguments
  (simplification, harmonisation, decision making)
• EP wants to increase its influence on budget,
  programming and implementation decisions
• What about the impact of budgetisation on the
  objectives of the CPA and on the principles of
  partnership, participation and ownership? Major
  concern on ACP side

8
Conclusion

• The acquis and principles of the CPA are not
  really implemented and are slowly eroded (no
  democratic ownership, unapproriate programming,
  weak CS participation, governance used as an aid
  condition and performance indicator, cumbersome
  procedures, utilisation of aid for non ODA
  eligible measures, interference of EPA
  negotiations in regional aid programming,)
• Desintegration of the geographic coverage of the
  CPA leading to sub-regional agreements is ont its
  way
• In this context what should we aim at for the
  post 2020 EU-ACP relationship? How shall we make
  sure that the lessons and best practice from more
  than 30 years of EU-ACP relations are preserved
  and inform the future relationship?

9
Role of the Concord Cotonou Working Group

• translation of the Cotonou Agreement into actions
  by
• Co-ordination of EU NGDOs actions and exchange of
  information
• Implementation of common EU NGDO strategies and
  advocacy actions
• Facilitation and promotion of alliances
• Promotion of dialogue with official institutions

10
Important developments in 2009-2010

• Second review of the Cotonou Partnership
  Agreement CPA)
• Mid-term review of country strategy papers
• Continuation and outcome of EPA negotiations
• General review of EU, EDF budgetisation?
• Multiplication of regional and sub-regional
  dialogue processes and institutions

11

• More info
• Wiske Jult
• Convenor of the Concord Cotonou WG
• 11.11.11 - Coalition of the Flemish North-South
  Mouvement 
• Policy and Research
• Vlasfabriekstraat 11
• 1060 Brussels
• Belgium
• tel [phone]
• fax [phone]
• e-mail Wiske.jult_at_11.be