On 10 April 2024, the European Parliament gave its consent to the conclusion of a new partnership agreement between the EU, its Member States and member states of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). The 15 November 2023 signing ceremony took place in Apia, capital of the Pacific island country of Samoa. The agreement is therefore referred to as the 'Samoa Agreement'. Owing to the multiple negotiation levels, the COVID-19 crisis and difficulties in agreeing sensitive issues, such as migration management and sexual and reproductive health and rights, it took more than two years before the negotiators initialled the text of the renewed partnership agreement in April 2021. It then took two more years for the EU Member States to resolve dissenting views before signing. The agreement has provisionally applied to its signatories since January 2024. Further legal procedures are required before it can enter fully into force, notably ratification by at least two thirds (53) of OACPS members. The Samoa Agreement is based on six key priorities: human rights, democracy and governance; peace and security; human and social development; inclusive, sustainable economic growth and development; environmental sustainability and climate change; and migration and mobility. The EU and the OACPS agreed on the principle of a common foundation complemented by three regional protocols (for African, Caribbean and Pacific OACPS members respectively). The European Parliament succeeded in maintaining the Joint Parliamentary Assembly. The new partnership's institutional set-up also includes a joint parliamentary assembly for each regional level. This is the 11th edition of this briefing. To view earlier editions, see the EPRS blog.
Authors
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- Belgium
Table of Contents
- overview 1
- Background 2
- EU negotiation objectives 2
- European Parliament's position 3
- Advisory committees 3
- Preparation of the agreement 4
- Negotiation process and outcome 4
- Signature and ratification process 5
- Figure 1 – Signatories of the Samoa Agreement (as of 13 May 2024) 5
- Provisional application 5
- European Parliament's consent 6
- Next steps 6
- The changes the agreement brings 6
- Structure 6
- One foundation and three regional protocols 6
- Institutional set-up 6
- Table 1 – Simplified outline of the regional protocols6F 7
- Sustainable Development Goals and multilateralism 8
- Priority areas 8
- Human rights, democracy and governance 8
- Peace and security 9
- Human and social development 9
- Inclusive, sustainable economic growth and development 9
- Environmental sustainability and climate change 10
- Migration and mobility 10
- Financing 11
- The Agreement's parliamentary dimension 8
- Economic partnership agreements (EPAs): Fostering regionalisation 10
- Stakeholder views10F 11
