Tough Topics On the Agenda of the ACP and ACP-EU Council of Ministers
ACP ministers meeting in Brussels on 4-5 June, then with their European partners in the ACP-EU Joint Council of
Ministers on 6-7 June are set to tackle a number of divisive issues on which the two parties have relatively diverging
positions. Among them, the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and the political dialogue on migration, including the
repatriation of illegal immigrants.
Other key issues to be discussed include the management procedures of the European Development Fund (EDF) and the
accession of Somalia to the Cotonou Accord.
The ACP ministers will also look at the future perspectives of the ACP Group, following up on discussions at the Heads
of State summit in December, and the creation of the Eminent Persons Group earlier this year to explore post-2015
outlooks.
Current President for the ACP Council of Ministers is Botswana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Hon. Phandu Skelemani. He will
join the Minister of State for Trade and Development of Ireland Mr. Joe Costello to co-chair the 38th session of the
Joint Council.
The ACP-EU Joint Council of Ministers is the highest decision-making body of the ACP-EU partnership framework.
ENDS