Regional Consultations

Over the course of 2009, the Commonwealth Secretariat has been actively consulting with project partners on the merits and options for a successor programme to the Hub and Spokes project. An outline of these consultations is provided in the table below. Importantly, these consultations are ongoing as Phase II planning work progresses.

*Members of the PCC include all the ACP regional integration organisations and delegates from the European Commission.

Outcomes of Consultations

These consultations have concluded that the Hub and Spokes project has been a highly appreciated form of assistance from the European Commission, Commonwealth Secretariat and Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.

Importantly, the project has delivered practical benefits to regional integration organisations as well as to individual ACP member states. It is also universally adjudged that the Hub and Spokes project continues to play an important role in assisting these organisations and their member states in ongoing trade policy formulation, negotiations and the implementation of commitments arising from trade agreements.

Project partners have on this basis recommended the project be extended beyond December 2010.

In response to the wishes of ACP member states, the Commonwealth Secretariat (in conjunction with project partners) has commenced preliminary work on the design of a successor programme, taking into consideration the trade policy capacity needs of each region. The planning and design process for a successor programme is outlined in the Phase II Roadmap published in July 2009.