2023-11-15 09:28:09
Samoa Agreement: EU and its Member States sign new partnership agreement with members of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
The EU and its Member States today signed a new partnership agreement with members of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), which will serve as the overarching legal framework for their relations for next twenty years. This agreement will succeed the Cotonou agreement and will be called the “Samoa agreement”. This agreement covers themes such as sustainable development and growth, human rights and peace and security.
The naming of the agreement was decided at the 46th session of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, which was held just before the signing ceremony, also in Samoa.
It is a great honor for us that the signing of the agreement can finally take place during the Spanish Presidency of the Council, after years of work on both sides. This new “Samoa” agreement will help both parties better address global challenges together and strengthen bilateral cooperation in a wide range of aspects over the next twenty years, from climate to peace and of security. These are challenging times for joint global actions and multilateral approaches. But this agreement shows that very large and diverse groups of countries can agree on concrete steps to deepen their partnership to build a common future. This is a hope in my eyes and in the eyes of the European Union, which I represent here.
Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, Secretary of State for International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, who co-signed the agreement on behalf of the EU
I welcome the signing of the Samoa Agreement, which marks the successful conclusion of our long journey. This agreement will provide a modernized framework, which will allow us to revitalize our relations with the largest group of partner countries to provide a platform for dialogue and coordination to jointly address the challenges of our time. We will do everything in our power to harness the collective power of our four regions. The EU and its Member States – as Team Europe – have launched ambitious investment packages under the “Global Gateway” strategy in all three regions and we are working to implement them.
Jutta Urpilainen, Commissioner for International Partnerships, EU chief negotiator who co-signed the agreement on behalf of the EU
This agreement constitutes a decisive step for the EU’s external relations. The Samoa Agreement brings together more than half of the members of the United Nations, from four continents, around common priorities and interests. We are resolutely leaving behind the old paradigms and instruments that linked the EU to most of these countries, moving towards win-win partnerships that are adapted to today’s world. At a time when multilateralism is under threat, the fact that so many countries can come together and decide to join forces to confront global challenges provides reason for optimism.
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
The new partnership agreement establishes common principles and covers the priority areas following:
human rights, democracy and governancepeace and securityhuman and social developmentinclusive and sustainable economic growth and developmentenvironmental sustainability and climate changemigration and mobility
The agreement includes a common ground applicable to all parties, combined with three regional protocols for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, with emphasis on the specific needs of each region.
The 27 EU member states and 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries together represent around two billion people and more than half of the seats at the United Nations. Parties to this new agreement will be better able to respond to emerging needs and global challenges, such as climate change, ocean governance, migration, health, peace and security.
Next steps
The agreement will apply provisionally from January 1, 2024.
It will enter into force after approval by the European Parliament and ratification by the parties, i.e. all EU Member States and at least two thirds of the OACPS members.
Background
The ACP-EU partnership is one of the oldest and most comprehensive cooperation frameworks between the EU and third countries.
The previous legal framework for the partnership, the Cotonou Agreement, was signed in 2000.
Post-Cotonou negotiations began in September 2018, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, with the aim of agreeing on a new modernized treaty to succeed the Cotonou Agreement. Chief negotiators initialed the new agreement in April 2021.
On 20 July 2023, the Council adopted a decision on the signing and provisional application of the Agreement.
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