ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly

ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
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Name	ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
Caption	Plenary session in Brussels
Formation	2000
Headquarters	Brussels
Membership	Members of the European Parliament and representatives from African, Caribbean and Pacific states

ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly is a transregional parliamentary forum bringing together elected representatives from the European Parliament and the parliaments of African, Caribbean and Pacific states under the Cotonou framework. It functions as a consultative body linking the European Union and the countries of the African Union, the Caribbean Community, and the Pacific Islands Forum to discuss development, trade, human rights and regional cooperation. The Assembly convenes plenary sessions, elects a Bureau, and produces resolutions that inform negotiations between the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, and ACP negotiators.

History

The Assembly traces its origins to the Yaoundé Convention and the Lomé Convention negotiations between the European Economic Community and former European colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, and was formally established under the Cotonou Agreement signed in Cotonou in 2000. Its predecessors engaged with institutions such as the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and the World Trade Organization during rounds like the Doha Round. Prominent figures and bodies that influenced the Assembly’s creation include the European Parliament leadership, ministers from France, United Kingdom, Germany, and representatives from regional blocs including the Economic Community of West African States, the Economic Community of Central African States, and the Southern African Development Community. Over time the Assembly has addressed episodes such as the reform debates surrounding the Cotonou Agreement renewal, the migration crises involving routes across the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and policy shifts linked to the African Continental Free Trade Area negotiations.

Structure and Membership

The Assembly comprises equal representation from the European Parliament and the national parliaments of ACP states, with delegates drawn from parliaments in countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea. Leadership is vested in a Bureau typically including a President and Vice-Presidents elected from both sides, reflecting practices similar to the leadership structures of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Committees mirror parliamentary practices seen in the Committee on Development and the Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament, and parallel panels in the Caribbean Community Secretariat and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. The Assembly interacts with institutions such as the European Commission, the European External Action Service, the African Union Commission, and national legislatures including the National Assembly of France and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

Functions and Powers

The Assembly exercises consultative and oversight roles similar to other interparliamentary bodies like the ACP Council of Ministers and the United Nations General Assembly’s subsidiary committees, but it lacks binding legislative authority over the European Union or ACP states. Its functions include adopting resolutions on human rights cases involving entities such as Amnesty International interventions, issuing recommendations on trade preferential agreements related to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, and monitoring development cooperation funded by institutions like the European Investment Bank and the African Development Bank. The Assembly can establish election observation missions akin to those organized by the European Parliament and engage with enforcement mechanisms under agreements influenced by the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice through advocacy and reporting.

Meetings and Proceedings

Plenary sessions are usually held twice yearly in venues such as Brussels, Brussels Parliament buildings, and alternating capitals across ACP regions including Abuja, Nairobi, Accra, Kingston, and Suva. Proceedings follow parliamentary norms modeled on the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament with agenda items introduced by the Bureau, committees, and delegations from national bodies like the Senate of France, the Bundestag, the National Assembly of Senegal, and the Parliament of Jamaica. The Assembly adopts resolutions and declarations after debate, and often issues joint communiqués coordinated with institutions such as the European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It also invites stakeholders including representatives from United Nations Development Programme, World Health Organization, Greenpeace, and regional human rights bodies such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

Key Issues and Policy Areas

Recurring topics include development finance involving the European Investment Bank and the African Development Bank, trade and market access linked to the World Trade Organization and the Economic Partnership Agreements, migration and mobility concerning routes across the Mediterranean Sea and the Caribbean Sea, climate change policies influenced by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and governance and human rights in contexts such as elections observed in Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Haiti. Other focal areas include fisheries agreements affecting Mauritania and Seychelles, health cooperation during epidemics with the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières, and private sector engagement through entities like the International Monetary Fund and multinational corporations operating in extractive industries in Angola and Papua New Guinea.

Relations with ACP and EU Institutions

The Assembly maintains consultative links with the European Commission, the European External Action Service, the Council of the European Union, and regional organizations including the African Union, the Caribbean Community and the Pacific Islands Forum. It liaises with finance and development institutions such as the European Investment Bank, African Development Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme to monitor implementation of partnership agreements. The Assembly’s recommendations feed into negotiations and oversight mechanisms involving the Cotonou Agreement framework, donor coordination led by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development fora, and political dialogues with national governments including those of France, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, and numerous ACP states.

Category:International interparliamentary organizations