The Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly welcome the European Union approval for signature of the new Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) – EU Agreement

Carlos Zorrinho (Portugal) and Ana Rita Sithole (Mozambique), Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, are pleased with the European Union’s approval, after a long delay, of the signing of the new OACPS-EU Partnership Agreement:

“This is a historic moment that ends months of delays that have had impact on the long-standing strategic partnership between the two parties. With this approval, they can now complete internal legal processes and move quickly towards the entry into force of the new agreement.

“This important new agreement sets the scene for alliance-building and more coordinated actions on the international stage. It substantially modernises our cooperation, improves the parliamentary dimension of our relationship, and extends the scope and scale of EU and OACPS ambitions to better address current and future challenges.”

The Co-Presidents are deeply grateful to the OACPS and EU Council Presidencies for their efforts and perseverance in overcoming the blockages to the agreement’s sign-off. They want the necessary signatures completed before the expiration on 31 October 2023 of transitional measures extending the existing agreement. They also want these institutions to consider allowing the provisional application of the new agreement to begin immediately after its signing to avoid additional delays for the strengthening of the OACPS-EU partnership.