The CARIFORUM Council of Ministers has stated that the successor to the Cotonou trade agreement between the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the European Union (EU) must:
- Take into account the inherent and exogenous vulnerabilities of CARIFORUM states;
- Secure development financing for CARIFORUM states; and
- Take into account the development priorities of the ACP and aim for sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth in these regions.
The Cotonou Agreement is the overarching framework for relations between the EU and the ACP countries and replaced Lome Convention in 2000. The agreement will expire in February 2020 with negotiations for a new EU-ACP partnership set to begin in August 2018.
Read more: HERE
Follow the EU-ACP partnership negotiation timeline HERE