Ljubljana 17/03/08: As the final speaker of the opening ceremony of the JPA in Ljubljana, Mrs Glenys Kinnock, Co-President of the ACP-EU JPA, heavily criticised the EPA negotiations and called for a more participatory approach, more transparency, respects and understanding for ACP regional and national interests. Mrs Kinnock also urged her colleagues to join her in calling for a major global summit to tackle hunger and food insecurity. Concluding she said: “Let it not be said of any of us that we walked away from children who crave education. Let it not be said of any of us that we walked away from women who, because of the low value accorded to them, die in their thousands in childbirth.  Let it not be said of any of us that we walked away from the young people who leave their homes and families to make deadly journeys by sea in the hope of a better life.”

On the 17th of March parliamentarians from ACP countries and the European Parliament gathered together in Ljubljana, Slovenia, for the ceremonial opening of the 15th ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. The main topics of this session will be the current position of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations; the revised Cotonou Agreement and the future implementation of the 10th EDF; and the situation of countries in conflict in particular Kenya and Chad.

As the first speaker the Slovenian prime minister, Mr Janez Janša, stressed the importance of strengthening the dialogue between cultures. He acknowledged the role of the JPA in promoting good partnership and stimulating this dialogue. Referring to the resolve of the EU to contribute to the implementation of the Millennium Declaration, he said that the new Member States were proud to be participating in the 10th EDF and through applying the EU Code of Conduct on Complimentarity and Division of Labour in Development Policy would contribute where they can achieve the best effects in line with their own expertise. As one of the major challenges for both the developed and developing world he saw climate change and energy and he hoped that he could count on the partnership of the ACP and EU countries to find and develop equitable and sustainable solutions to climate change.

Mr Wilkie Rasmussen, the new Co-President of the ACP-EU JPA touched upon a wider range of topics including the wealth imbalance, the loss of skilled labour, agriculture, subsidies and food security. He stressed the fact that the ACP countries had rich resources at their disposal, but failed to exploit them properly; that developing countries were subsidising the professional needs of developed countries while they themselves had to do without skilled labour.  He pointed out that too many countries suffered from political instability, with disastrous and often fatal consequences, particularly for women, children and the elderly. He therefore called on his colleagues to “.. remain committed to addressing policies that expand social, political and economic opportunities and uphold the dignity of all our citizens.”

As the final speaker Mrs Glenys Kinnock, Co-President of the ACP-EU JPA, was the most outspoken in her criticism of the EPAs. She admitted that she could but agree with the description of the result of the negotiations so far as “..a tangled cat’s cradle, if not a mangled dogs breakfast”. Therefore, she called for a more participatory approach, more transparency, respects and understanding for ACP regional and national interests. She also dwelled extensively on the humanitarian crisis due to conflicts but also to hunger and hunger related diseases. Ms Kinnock urged her colleagues to join her in calling for a major global summit to tackle hunger and food insecurity. Concluding she said: “Let it not be said of any of us that we walked away from children who crave education. Let it not be said of any of us that we walked away from women who, because of the low value accorded to them, die in their thousands in childbirth.  Let it not be said of any of us that we walked away from the young people who leave their homes and families to make deadly journeys by sea in the hope of a better life.”