Letter from Gareth Thomas MP, Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State, DFID/DBERR to Minister Karel De Gucht,
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Government of Belgium
21 September 2007
Dear Minister De Gucht
ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS
The UK has long held the view that EPAs have the
potential to contribute to regional development, economic growth
and poverty reduction. By providing real commercial opportunities
and support to achieve sustainable economic growth, EPAs should
bring new benefits to the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)
countries and deliver for development.
At the Development Ministers' Informal meeting in
Madeira this weekend, I will be making clear that the UK supports
the Commission's efforts in taking these negotiations forward
to a development friendly outcome. Considerable and valuable progress
has been made to date. In particular we welcome the EU's good
market access offer, significantly improving the trading opportunities
for the ACP countries. We will also want to see further improvements
in rules of origin.
We are now approaching the end game of the negotiations.
I urge all parties to make every effort to reach agreement this
year in order to deliver the significant potential benefits. We
encourage the ACP to take account of the flexibilities in the
WTO rules to allow for longer transitional periods for their own
market opening. We believe that this is critical to ensuring properly
sequenced trade reform.
I also want to make clear that the UK does not agree
with those who have called for an extension to the deadline. Nor
do we believe that ACP countries should find themselves in a worse
position once the Cotonou Agreement lapses at the end of 2007.
This would be the case if either GSP or GSP plus is put in place.
Although time is short, it is possible by the end
of the year to agree outline EPA frameworks, focussing on trade
in goods which deliver duty and quota free access for the ACP
on 1st January 2008. We recognise that this means leaving other
issues, such as investment, aside until later: however, the UK
has always been clear that these issues should only be included
in the negotiations if the ACP wished them to be. We welcome that
some regions will wish to cover investment as they believe this
will bring development benefits and urge them to continue to engage
on these negotiations once a goods agreement has been reached.
Yours sincerely,
GARETH THOMAS
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