Council of the EU 46th ACP-EU Council of Ministers, 15 November 2023

 Council of the EU

46th ACP-EU Council of Ministers, 15 November 2023

Main results

Infographic - Samoa Agreement

The Samoa Agreement is a partnership between the EU and 79 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.See full infographic

The 46th session of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers took place in Apia, Samoa, on 15 November 2023.

The meeting was co-chaired on the EU side by H. E. Ms Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, Secretary of State for International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, while the co-chair on the OACPS side was H. E. Mr. Bendito dos Santos Freitas, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste.

This was the last such meeting under the Cotonou Agreement framework and allowed for an exchange of views on a number of issues of importance for the Partnership, just before the signature of the new Partnership Agreement.

The ACP-EU Council of Ministers decided on the denomination of the new Partnership Agreement, the short name of which will be “Samoa Agreement”.

The two sides held an exchange of views on the implementation of the new EU-OACPS Partnership Agreement, touching upon important issues, such as the work on the rules of procedures of the future joint institutions, the operationalisation of the partnership dialogue and the way forward regarding the establishment of a joint mechanism for stakeholders’ involvement.

EU-OACPS Cooperation in international fora, as a central objective of the Partnership, was also on the agenda. Ministers discussed how to strengthen cooperation in international fora under the Samoa Agreement and explored upcoming opportunities for joint positioning in multilateral settings. In that regard, the ACP-EU Council of Ministers delegated powers to the ACP-EU Committee of Ambassadors to agree and adopt a Joint Statement on the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), which will take place from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in Dubai, in time ahead of that event.

The new EU-OACPS Partnership Agreement will be signed in a signing ceremony that will take place after the meeting.

Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, Secretary of State for International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain

Cooperation between the EU and ACP states is key in the current geopolitical context. The signature of the Samoa Agreement today will provide with a new framework to reinforce bilateral cooperation in a wide range of aspects, from climate to peace and security, in the upcoming two decades.

Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, Secretary of State for International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain

Samoa Agreement (background information)

Meeting information

Samoa 

15 November 2023

Press releases

Samoa Agreement: EU and its Member States sign new Partnership Agreement with the Members of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States

15 November 2023, 06:00