Lomé Conventions

The evidence of four Lomé Conventions refutes that theory.

The Kotonu conventions provide for a partnership for development and peace, and the Lomé conventions also provide for procedures, especially Article 366, which has already been referred to.

In revising the uniquely constituted Lomé Conventions, the refrain is always that that these ought not to remain in that form and that they are not WTO specific.

The previous debate at the Lomé session was very intense due to the abnormal conditions - to put it mildly - that are prevalent in terms of the internal politics of that country, the country where the Lomé conventions were born.

Mr Prodi and Prime Minister Verhofstadt will refer to the Council decision in May this year calling for the total alleviation of all remaining special loans granted to the least-developed countries under the first, second and third Lomé Conventions.

At a time when the Union is engaging in a threefold process of renewing and renegotiating the Lomé Conventions, it was fitting to review its association with the OCTs and to implement a form of adapted integration with the ultraperipheral regions.

I say 'Africa', by the way, because I do not believe there is a need to spread the ACP effort too thinly; the brunt of it should be devoted to the original focal point of the Lomé Conventions, which was and must remain sub-Saharan Africa.

This highlights the fact that Parliament's consultation is purely optional on many measures and that, on implementing measures and even on negotiations on the Lomé Conventions, its prerogatives are simply shown to be a power of political influence - being able to give its opinion which, however, is never binding.