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The following policies and commitments provide the EU regional and/or national frameworks for implementation of interventions. They lay the foundation for long-term cooperation on jointly identified, mutual and complementary interests, based on the principles of partnership and ownership.


The Cotonou Agreement (2000) and its successor

The partnership agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and the EU, signed in Cotonou, Benin, on 23 June 2000, concluded for a 20-year period, is the most comprehensive partnership agreement between developing countries and the EU. Since 2000, it has been the framework for EU relations with 79 ACP countries. Core principles of the Cotonou Agreement include equality of partners, global participation (by states and non-state actors), dialogue and regionalisation. The essential and fundamental elements of the Agreement, viz. good governance, respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law, provide the basis for political dialogue. The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA), while being self-standing international agreements, are also based on the objectives and the essential and fundamental elements of the Cotonou Agreement. Due to expire on 29 February 2020, the validity of the Agreement has been extended until 30 June 2023, pending the outcome of the negotiations over a successor agreement.

The future agreement will continue to frame the relations with the countries of the Organisation of the African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS, new formal denomination), featuring a strengthened regionalisation and paramount prominence given to the partnership dialogue. The agreement will have a revamped institutional layout, modelled on an overarching general or foundation agreement and three regional partnerships, forming one legally binding agreement with the foundation. Built on the Cotonou acquis, the new legally binding OACPS-EU partnership will be framed by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The identified strategic priorities are human rights, democracy and governance in people-centred and rights-based societies; peace and security; human and social development; inclusive sustainable economic growth and development; environmental sustainability and climate change; and migration and mobility. The three regional protocols will translate the identified priorities into specific commitments to operationalisation and implementation. A specific clause will maintain the link with EPAs, current and future. The new agreement will be a fit-for-purpose instrument for multilateral cooperation, leveraging the EU and OACPS alliance in global and international fora.  (More information: ACP-EU partnership - The Cotonou Agreement)

EU-Africa Partnership (2020)

In June 2020, the EU Council adopted Conclusion on Africa, based on the Joint Communication “Towards a Comprehensive Strategy with Africa.” The European Council in turn adopted similar conclusions in October 2020. The renewed strategy builds on the priorities of the AU-EU Abidjan Summit of 2017, taking into consideration new global challenges and a new geopolitical setting. It  is based on a clear understanding of respective and mutual interests and responsibilities, articulated along five key partnerships for:

  1. green transition and renewable energy access;
  2. digital transformation;
  3. sustainable growth and jobs, building on the EU-Africa Alliance and substantially increasing sustainable investments that will boost regional and continental economic integration, particularly through the implementation the African Continental Free Trade Agreement ;
  4. peace, security, governance and resilience;
  5. migration and mobility, framed by the new New Pact on Migration and Asylum.

The Joint Communication European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean (2019)

The Joint Communication  EU, Latin America and the Caribbean: joining forces for a common future (April 2019) provides a renewed overarching framework for the EU's engagement with the region. It calls for a targeted and strategic external action based on four partnerships: prosperity, democracy, resilience and effective global governance. The proposed cooperation approach is to move beyond the logic of purely development cooperation, to a more policy driven logic of international cooperation based on shared interests and mutual benefit. In a context of decreasing financial resources, the focus in the region's higher income countries will be on ODA as a catalyst for sustainable development, enabling private investment and stimulating reform and productivity by sharing best EU policy practice and know-how. In this way, the EU-LAC partnership sets the precedent for EU’s new type of engagement with more advanced countries, based on the innovative ‘Development in Transition’ approach piloted in the LAC region.

European Neighbourhood Policy (2015)

The European Neighbourhood Policy, launched in 2003 and revised in 2015, governs the EU's relations with 16 of its closest Eastern and Southern neighbours. In line with the EU Global Strategy, it aims at fostering stabilisation, security and prosperity based on EU universal values, including democracy, the rule of law and respect of human rights.
The revised policy aims for a more effective partnership between the EU and its neighbours. It puts a strong emphasis on the principles of differentiation and greater mutual ownership, thus recognising that not all partners aspire to EU rules and standards. This also reflects the wishes of each country concerning the nature and focus of its partnership with the EU (More information: European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations).



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