Cotonou Agreement

The review of the Cotonou Agreement was a significant challenge.

As has already been mentioned, the Cotonou Agreement was a forward step of this kind.

This is, in fact, possible within the framework of the Cotonou Agreement.

We are also working along these lines in applying the Cotonou Agreement.

We have a very strong instrument available to us: the Cotonou Agreement.

The Cotonou Agreement is not merely a pot of money.

At present civil society is only recognised in the text of the Cotonou Agreement.

However, we cannot ignore the fact that this report does not change anything in the Cotonou Agreement.

It is also fundamentally at odds with the Cotonou Agreement.

It is nearly two years ago that the negotiations about the Cotonou Agreement were completed.

For example, we do not agree with the report that the Cotonou Agreement is in favour of "development only through market laws".

Often the observation mission takes place within a framework of development support under the Cotonou Agreement.

Good governance is a fundamental principle of the Cotonou Agreement.

I do not see any need to amend the Cotonou Agreement to reflect this.

I therefore consider the planned, broad dialogue to be at the heart of the Cotonou Agreement.

Since 2000, however, the Cotonou Agreement has brought about a new context that profoundly changes the very nature of this report.

Nor do any negotiations need to be conducted with regard to the Cotonou Agreement.

Second, there must be better linkage between the joint strategy and the Cotonou Agreement.

Probably the most radical change introduced by the Cotonou Agreement concerns trade cooperation.

This question is becoming increasingly urgent with the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement.

Article 13 of the Cotonou Agreement on readmission led to problems and protests.

This must be rectified during the new revision of the Cotonou Agreement.

We are raising the level of ambition in the new Cotonou Agreement and everybody is looking at this with great excitement.

We have the Council to thank for finally getting Article 96 of the Cotonou agreement moving since the last resolution.

The Cotonou agreement stipulates that civil society participation should come from the bottom up, yet without the capacity this is impossible.