Media Advisory: 01-09
23 January 2009
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma will host a meeting on Realising the Development Dimensions of the Economic Partnership Agreements, between high level representatives of the European Commission and the Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP) on January 27 at Marlborough House in London.
The European Union will be represented by EU Commissioner for Trade Baroness Ashton and a senior official responsible for development. The ACP will be represented by 12 Ministers from the regions that are still negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the EU, as well as ACP Secretary-General Sir John Kaputin. The senior technical trade negotiators from the concerned ACP regions will also be present.
The Commonwealth enjoys a close and trusted relationship with members of both organisations, with 40 of its 53 member states belonging to the ACP, and 3 to the EU. The Commonwealth also has a respected record in facilitating inter-governmental and inter-institutional dialogue, to move key global issues in a positive direction.
In the past the Commonwealth has arranged high-level interchanges on EPAs between ACP representatives and European Ministers – notably with the French Foreign Trade Minister, the German Minister for Economic Development, and the UK Secretary of State for Trade.
Date: | 27 January 2009 |
Time: | 1430 hrs |
Venue: | Marlborough House |
Participants: | Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma (host) Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith |
EU Commissioner for Trade Baroness Ashton | |
African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States Secretary-General Sir John Kaputin | |
ACP Ministerial Representatives and Chief Technical Negotiators |
Note to Editors:
For more information please contact Julius Mucunguzi at +44 (0)789 459 3517 or +44 (0)207-747-6382 or email: j.mucunguzi@commonwealth.int
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