Brussels, 14 February 2020/ACP/EU: Today, new impetus was given to the post-Cotonou negotiations on a new agreement between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) as the two chief negotiators agreed on the way forward.

Brussels 07 February 2020/ACP:  H.E. Mrs. Teneng Mba Jaiteh, Ambassador of the Republic of The Gambia will preside over the Committee of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Ambassadors in Brussels for the coming six-month period of 1 February – 31 July 2020. The rotating leadership of the Committee of Ambassadors fell to the West African region, which designated The Gambia to serve as Chair. The Gambia will also concurrently assume the Presidency of the ACP Council of Ministers.

Brussels, 31 January 2020/ACP: The ACP Committee of Ambassadors (CoA) recently welcomed the new Ambassador of the Republic of Burundi to their midst at their 926^th Meeting.

Ambassador Thérence Ntahiraja, immediately prior to his appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Burundi in Brussels, served from November 2018 as Permanent Secretary at the Chancellery of the National Orders of the Republic and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communication and Media.

Brussels, 30 January 2020: "In the Caribbean alone, over 400,000 people depend on the sugar industry for their livelihoods. In eSwatini, around 50% of production is exported to the EU and sugar production amounts to 13% of GDP and 35% of private sector employment." 

The ACP LDC Sugar Industries Group has produced an Aide-Memoire titled "ACP and LDC cane sugar in the EU market" which gives background on the vital role of sugar cane industries in ACP and LDC countries. 

Private sector representatives including, micro-small-medium enterprises, financing institutions and investment promotion authorities from the Pacific Region gathered in Nadi in December 2019 for the first African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Knowledge and Information Sharing Event.  

The Seychelles, 14 January 2020: The Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) states held the eighth meeting of the Joint Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Committee under the interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA) with a delegation from the European Union (EU) on 14 January 2020 in the Seychelles. The meeting was co-chaired by Ambassador Haymandoyal Dillum for ESA-5 and Cecile Billaux for the EU.