ACP-EU Council of ministers, 23-24/05/2019 - Main results
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ACP-EU Council of ministers met for its annual meeting and discussed the implementation of the partnership agreement, known as the Cotonou agreement
Main results
The African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) - EU Council of ministers met for its annual meeting on 23-24 May. It discussed the implementation of the ACP-EU partnership agreement, known as the Cotonou agreement.
The Council adopted a decision to delegate its powers to the ACP-EU Committee of Ambassadors to adopt transitional measures until a new ACP-EU Partnership Agreement comes into force. This may be necessary in case a new agreement is not reached by the expiry date of the current legal framework (20 February 2020).
Ministers of the EU and of the ACP countries exchanged views on how to strengthen cooperation in international fora on issues of common interest. They also discussed climate change, including the implementation of the Paris agreement, and ocean governance.
On migration, ministers took stock of the implementation of the Valletta action plan, the EU emergency trust fund for Africa, and the ACP-EU migration dialogue. In addition, ministers discussed economic issues, such as development finance cooperation, trade cooperation, and private sector development.
Finally, ministers had an informal exchange on the relations between the EU and the ACP countries post 2020, as the Cotonou agreement is set to expire on 29 February 2020. They also exchanged views on the EU-UN initiative on gender violence and the state-of-play of the Brexit process.
The meeting was co-chaired by Maria Magdalena Grigore, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania (currently holding the Presidency of the Council), and Tjekero Tweya, Minister of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development of the Republic of Namibia.
ACP - EU Council of ministers, 31/05-01/06/2018
Cotonou Agreement (background information)
EU-Africa relations (background information)
Meeting information
Brussels
23-24/05/2019