Landmark Samoa Agreement, Set to Replace Cotonou Deal from 2000, Signals New Era of Cooperation
Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon. Jeremiah Manele, is currently in Apia, Samoa, for the Signing Ceremony of the Samoa Agreement between the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union (EU). The minister’s visit follows his participation in the 52nd Pacific Islands Leaders Forum in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, last week.
Scheduled to take place on November 15, 2023, the signing of the Samoa Agreement will follow ministerial sessions of the OACPS Council of Ministers meeting and the Joint OACPS-EU Council of Ministers meeting, respectively. This agreement is set to replace its predecessor, the Cotonou Agreement, which was signed in 2000.
Negotiations for the new OACPS-EU partnership agreement commenced in 2018 and concluded in 2020, with the final draft text initiallyled by Chief Negotiators in April 2021.
The Samoa Agreement signifies a significant milestone in the collaboration between OACPS and the EU, emphasizing shared priorities in key areas such as economic development, environmental sustainability, climate change, oceans governance, peace, security, democracy and governance, migration and mobility, as well as human and social development.
