ECOWAS-EU Senior Ministers Meet in Accra

A two-day meeting of Senior Ministers from West Africa and the European Union opened in Accra on Tuesday with a key aim of forging a common front under the Cotonou Agreement.

It would review the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations and seek ways of instituting a critical evaluation of West African integration programme.

Opening the Meeting, Dr Konadu Apraku, Out-going Minister of Trade and Industry noted that the process calls for increased level of cohesion among ECOWAS states to enable them to go into negotiations with the EU trade united under an ACP and ECOWAS guidelines and mandate.

"It is essential that we keep faith with the two-tier approach as adopted by ACP and ECOWAS authorities and ensure that any progress towards the second tier negotiations does not dislocate the rhythm of the overall ACP structure.

"Any conceptions in that direction should be subjected to open and transparent consensus building among our countries."

The meeting is behind closed doors and precedes the main EU-ACP Trade and Finance Ministers' Meeting in Accra on Thursday.

Dr Apraku expressed the group's dissatisfaction with current state of negotiations, indicating that the apparent divergent points have given room for unease.

He mentioned the continued lack of clarity, and significant progress on the first tier negotiations, saying it is a point of concern to the Ghana delegation.

"The critical issues are market access, financing the cost of adjustment, rules of origin, standards and framework for services trade and agriculture."

He said adjustment to funding requirements was of serious concern.

Dr Apraku said apart from these concerns, studies by Ghana showed that only 25 per cent of her industries could survive without supporting import tariffs while significant import revenue would be lost to government.

"To win negotiations ... we need to effectively address the critical issues of production, supply and distribution in our countries."

This, he said, confirms that development finance is thus crucial and informs the ACP's basic demand that development should be at the heart of EPA negotiations.