| AU Trade Ministers Call for More Flexibility and Attention to Africa's Concerns in EPAs negotiations 17 January 2007 The third Extraordinary Session of the African Union Conference of Trade Ministers held from 15 to 16 January 2007 in Addis-Ababa adopted a declaration, calling on European partners to respond positively and adequately to key African concerns in the on-going economic partnership agreements (EPAs) negotiations. The declaration urges the European Community and its member States to pay attention to the development and financing needs of Africa in building competitiveness and addressing supply side and infrastructure constraints. In this regard, Trade Ministers stressed the need to define clear measures to help African countries in addressing challenges related to EPAs adjustments costs. In his address to the Conference, UN-Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of ECA, Mr. Abdoulie Janneh said, “If reciprocity in bilateral agreements is to benefit Africa, and thus help improve the development prospects of the continent, the first thing that must happen is that asymmetrical reciprocity must be considered.” “Moreover, for reciprocity in EPAs to work for Africa, a ‘gradualist approach' rather than a ‘big-bang' would be needed because it takes time to implement the complementary measures that are required to ease the intersectoral adjustment process,” added Mr. Janneh. Discussions during the ministerial meeting were informed by the outcomes of a comprehensive review of the EPAs negotiations carried out by ECA through the African Trade Policy Center (ATPC) at the request of the African Caribbean and Pacific (APC) Secretariat.This preliminary report will be discussed at a continental meeting to be held on February 12 and 13 in Nairobi, Kenya. Other technical studies on the implications of the EPAs on African economies were shared during previous AU ministerial meetings on trade in Cairo and Nairobi in 2005 and earlier this year respectively. In his opening remarks, Mr. Hakim Ben Hammouda, director of ECA's Trade, Finance and Economic Development Division (TFED) emphasized the need for the European Union to support regional integration in Africa and provide much-needed resources to address the transitional costs, as prerequisites for successful EPAs. Key participants at this meeting included the Director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Mr. Pascal Lamy and the Assistant US Trade Representative for Africa, Ms. Florizelle Liser. :: Remarks by Mr. Abdoulie Janneh, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the ECA |
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