Call for greater solidarity among ACP countries

Leaders of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries meeting in Mozambique this week called for greater solidarity among developing countries when pressing the European Union (EU) for group trade benefits.

The 79-nation bloc focused on international trade, aid and security issues at its 4th ACP summit, held in the capital, Maputo.

The EU recently agreed to revise trade arrangements giving ACP producers special access to European markets and development aid. Instead of agreeing to one accord, six regional groups in the ACP have decided that the EU should negotiate an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with each of them before a 2008 deadline.

"It is now more important than ever that the ACP countries work extremely hard to develop a coherent strategy, so that the EU deal benefits all of the member states. The individual EPAs should not be divisive but, instead, encourage cooperation among member states," ACP spokesman Hegel Goutier told IRIN.

A recurring concern at the summit was the lack of trade between ACP countries. "Many delegates raised the issue that ongoing trade barriers, including high tariffs, restricted trade between developing countries," Goutier said. "If these barriers were eased, there would be greater trade and benefits to all ACP countries."

The ACP reiterated a call for Western countries to scrap hefty farm subsidies, a practice the largely agricultural ACP has said was "unfair competition".

The ACP, founded in 1975 as a forum to discuss development issues with the European Union, groups 48 sub-Saharan countries, 16 Caribbean nations, including Cuba, and 15 from the Pacific.