Cotonou Agreement Programme for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) Trade Union Report: ETUC, ICFTU & WCL

Cotonou Agreement n A New Agreement at a Turning Point in History –Signed 23rd June 2000 for 20 years

Three Core Objectives ¶Reducing and eventually eradicating poverty in the ACP countries; ·Sustainable development; and ¸Gradual integration of the ACP countries into the world economy.

Fundamental Principles of the New Agreement n Equality of the partners and the ACP States’ sovereign right to set their priorities and development strategies; n Participation by civil society organisations as partners in the agreement; n Pivotal role of political dialogue on all aspects of the EU/ACP partnership and the fulfilment of mutual obligations assumed by the parties; and n Differentiation between the least-developed and other ACP countries, and encouragement for the formation of regional economic groupings of ACP countries.

Institution n The ACP/EU Council of Ministers n The Committee of Ambassadors n The Joint parliamentary Assembly

Areas of Support 1) Economic development, trade co-operation (Article 21.1) 2) Social and human development (Article 25.1) 3) Regional Co-operation and integration 4) Thematic and cross-cutting issues (Article 33.3) - Gender issues, particularly promoting, building the capacity and role of women; - Sustainable management of natural resources and environmental protection; and - Institutional development & capacity building for ACP States

Progress and Strengths of the Cotonou Agreement (1) rTransparency as a principle of development co- operation and the basis of accountable governance; rParticipation by non-state actors in all areas of co-operation; rsustainable social and human development as a priority focus of co-operation; rFundamental social rights as an integral part of growth and/or economic development; and

rRegional integration as a strategic priority to foster the closer integration of the ACP countries into the world market; rDecentralised co-operation; and rThe supply of technical assistance only on request by ACP countries Progress and Strengths of the Cotonou Agreement (2)

More Rapid and Flexible Procedures for Accessing Financial Resources n The Agreement’s general frame of reference has been extended to include “relevant conventions of the ILO (Preamble to the Cotonou Agreement); n The concern to keep social rights and fundamental labour standards very much to the fore in economic and trade co-operation practise through express references to the ILO Conventions No. 87, No. 98, No. 105, No. 182, No. 111 (Article 50)

Weakness of the Cotonou Agreement n Nowhere does the Agreement mention the EU’s interests in pursuing co-operation with the ACP countries (“recipients” and “donors” ); n The shift from a development co-operation agreement to a free trade agreement; n Ambivalence on the protection of democracy and peace;

Trade Union Demands n Setting up machinery to give all players a real say in project and programme design, programming, implementation and evaluation. Trade unions repeat their call for a tripartite, national or regional co-operation programme management committee to be set up in each ACP State and/or region. n The trade union movement stands by its believe that there can be no real development without observance of fundamental social and labour rights.

Co-operation Strategy (CS) n Joint document prepared by the ACP State and the EU “following consultations with a wide range of actors in the development process (Article 2. Annex IV)  Analyses: the country’s political, economic and social context, its constraints, capacities and prospects, including an assessment of basic needs;  Details: the country’s medium-term development strategy, priorities, financing requirements and any contributions (ACP State, EU, other donors active in the country);  Defines: the most appropriate support mechanisms to be applied in implementing the development strategies worked out.

National Indicative Programme (NIP) n Document drown by the ACP State to: –Specify the focal (priority) areas on which EU indicative financial support should be concentrated in response to the country’s co-operation strategy; –Present the most appropriate measures and operations, and the allocation of financial resources reserved for projects and programmes in and outside the focus areas for support; –Identify the eligible non-governmental actors and the indicative resources allocated to them. n Trade unions and civil society organizations must ensure that they are fully involved in drawing up these documents

What do you do? n Trade unions must: –Find out about consultation dates and deadlines, national development priorities, the methods and procedures for participation in national programming; –Focus on the social aspect of national development programmes, get decentralised co-operation included in focal areas on which aid is concentrated, and see that national economic guidelines take the vital role of social actors into account.

Where to Get the Information From? (1) è The Government (National Authorising Officer, or the Ministry with responsibility for international co- operation or national planning) è The European Commission’s Delegation in the country

n Ask to be involved in consultations and national programming, referring to the Cotonou Agreement n Ask for a tripartite consultation committee to be set up, with members representing the ACP state, the EU Delegation and civil society n Thoroughly prepare their input into the national programming activities: òIdentify the specific areas to focus on when finalising the Co- operation Strategy and the National Indicative Programme; òFrame workable programmes and projects in line with the eligibility criteria and eligible areas; and òMake sure they are keeping within the set deadlines. Where to Get the Information From? (2)

If Allowed to Participate, What to Emphasise? n Social aspects in national programming, decentralised co-operation; n Social actor involvement in setting the economic guidelines of the CS and NIP; and n The social impacts of deregulation and trade liberalisation plus alternative measures and policies.

If Not Allowed to Participate, What to Do? n Notify the international trade union of which you are a member (ICFTU, WCL) n Protest in writing to the ACP State and the EU delegation in the country, referring to the provisions of the Agreement.

Fact Sheet (1) n Actors responsible for implementing the Agreement n Actors in all areas of co-operation n Decentralised co-operation and micro- projects n Preparing project packages and application appraisal

Fact Sheet (2) n Economic and trade co-operation n Main stages in the negotiation and implementation of new ACP/EU trade agreements n Debt and Structural Adjustment n The unions and political dialogue

Thank You All and Good Luck! actrav Remember, Rome was not built in a day, and opposition will come in your way.