Commissioners Michel and Mandelson to attend EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Mali

European Commissioner for Development Louis Michel and European Commissioner for Trade Peter Mandelson will attend the 9th EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Bamako, Mali on April 19. The forum brings together parliamentarians from the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. Commissioner Michel will report to the Assembly on the European Union's humanitarian and development relations with the ACP, and the recent proposals adopted by the Commission on the EU contribution to the UN's Review of the Millennium Goals in September this year. Commissioner Mandelson will report to the Assembly on the state of the EU's Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations with the six ACP regions. He will also make a strong show of support for cotton producers in West Africa.

In addition to their participation in the Joint Parliamentary Assembly, both Commissioner Michel and Commissioner Mandelson will meet with Malinese President Amadou Toumani Toure and Prime Minister Ousmane Issoufi Maiga. Commissioner Michel will also meet with Foreign Minister Moctar Ouane.

Speaking before his arrival in Mali, Commissioner Michel said: "Last week the Commission adopted a series of proposals to ensure the EU's leadership role in development cooperation, particularly in view of the review of the Millennium goals this year. With our ACP partners, we need to do more, we need to do it better and we need to do it quicker. I look forward to discussing these issues with the EU-ACP Joint Parliamentary Assembly".

Commissioner Mandelson said: "Two months ago I promised an important reshaping of the EPA negotiation process that would benchmark it against development goals. In Mali I will be delivering on that promise. The European Commission has put in place a monitoring mechanism that will ensure that EPAs are genuine development tools."

Both Commissioners Michel and Mandelson will stress the European Union's commitment to development in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

As part of the communications approved by the Commission last week, it is proposed to set a new EU Official Development Aid target for 2010 at 0,56%, as well as to undertake action to increase coherence and make sure the different EU policies use all their potential to contribute to development. It also proposes a specific EU-Africa Partnership on infrastructure, thus strengthening the interconnectivity and the supply side capacity of our partners."

Although the EU is the most important export market for ACP goods, its share of that market has shrunk dramatically over the last decade. The European Commission believes that increasing this trading relationship through the EPA process and improved continued preferential terms of trade is a key development goal.

Reflecting the particular importance of cotton production in Mali and other parts of West Africa, Commissioner Mandelson will visit a cotton factory and meet with representatives from the West African cotton industry. Commissioner Mandelson said: "Cotton is a development issue and an area where WTO negotiations could be moving further and faster to ensure some security for vulnerable West African producers."

For more information on the European Union's relationship with the ACP please visit:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/issues/bilateral/regions/acp/index_en.htm
http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/cotonou/index_en.htm

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