35th ACP-EU Assembly: migration and demographics will dominate the debate
- MEPs meet with counterparts from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific
- Migration set to dominate debates
- Brussels hosts the 35th meeting
ACP-EU relations post-Cotonou and demographic growth will be among the key issues at the 35th session of ACP-EU joint parliamentary assembly in Brussels.
From the 18th to 20th June 2018, in Brussels, members of the European Parliament and the parliament of 78 countries across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) will debate migration, demographic growth, ACP-EU relations post-Cotonou and the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan.
“Sustainable economic development at the heart of stable states is the only way to tackle migration and the brain drain. It will transform demographic growth into an advantage and help women to blossom and be empowered” said Louis Michel, Co-President of the ACP-EU JPA for the European Parliament.
The 35th plenary session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly will be opened formally on Monday 18 June by its co-presidents, Louis Michel for the European Parliament and Joseph Owona Kono for the ACP. The three standing committees (Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Trade, Committee on Political Affairs, Committee on Social Affairs and the Environment) will meet on Saturday 16 June to adopt the reports on ACP-EU relations post-Cotonou, social and environmental consequences of urbanisation and the impact of the illegal trade in phytosanitary products on ACP Countries’ economies.
The Commissioner for international cooperation and development, Neven Mimica, will represent the European Commission. Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica will represent the ACP Council. Ekaterina Zaharieva, Bulgarian Minister for Foreign Affairs will represent the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
In the margins of the plenary session, MPs and MEPs will gather for the Women’s Forum on the morning of Saturday 16 June. They will also meet with young Belgians during the Youth Conference, which will take place on the afternoon of Sunday 17 June.
Background
The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) brings together MEPs and MPs from 78 European Union (EU) and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states that have signed the Cotonou Agreement, which is the basis for ACP-EU cooperation and development work.
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Emilie TOURNIER
Press Officer