Skip to content
OPINION (COM(2023)0791 – C90029/2024 – 2023/0464(NLE))

On the proposal for a Council decision on the Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, of the other part

INTA-AD-758849

Committee on International Trade · Rapporteur: Samira Rafaela

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull textProcedure & committee votes
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 13 Oct 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

The Committee on International Trade gives its opinion on the proposed Council decision on the Partnership Agreement between the EU and its member states and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), the Samoa Agreement. It calls on the Committee on Development, as the committee responsible, to recommend that Parliament gives its consent to the draft Council decision. It sets out priorities: the Agreement should boost intra-African trade and economic integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). It should pursue the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, and the EU trade toolbox should be mutually reinforcing. The EU should support capacity building, science, technology, research, innovation and digital transformation in OACPS countries, and engage on EU trade legislation including the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the Forced Labour Ban. The Agreement should help fight inequalities and its implementation should be gender mainstreamed.

Committee position. The Committee on International Trade calls on the Committee on Development, as the committee responsible, to recommend that Parliament gives its consent to the draft Council decision on the Partnership Agreement.

Key points

  1. The Samoa Agreement, signed on 15 November 2023, replaces the Cotonou Agreement and covers six priority areas including democracy and human rights, sustainable economic growth, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, and migration and mobility.
  2. The Agreement should benefit intra-African trade and African economic integration through the AfCFTA, with EPAs as useful instruments.
  3. The Agreement includes a pathway to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, and the UN principle on free, prior, and informed consent.
  4. The EU trade toolbox, including EPAs, GSP, Aid for Trade, CBAM and the Anti-Deforestation Regulation, should be mutually reinforcing to foster sustainable development.
  5. EPAs between the EU and African countries should contribute to long-term sustainable development, reduce poverty, boost regional integration, and benefit the African population and intra-African trade.
  6. The EU should be mindful of a potential misbalance of benefits in trade and investment relations with OACPS countries, especially related to sustainability.
  7. The EU should engage in capacity building and support science, technology, research, innovation and digital transformation in OACPS countries.
  8. The EU should engage with OACPS countries about new and existing EU trade legislation, including CBAM and the Forced Labour Ban.
  9. The Agreement includes strong human rights commitments and should help fight inequalities.
  10. The implementation of the Agreement should be gender mainstreamed, including gender equality and trade-related aspects and gender chapters in trade agreements.
  11. The Committee on International Trade calls on the Committee on Development to recommend that Parliament gives its consent to the draft Council decision.

Who is affected

  • OACPS countries: the Agreement's trade and investment provisions should benefit them, with EU support for capacity building and digital transformation.
  • African countries: EPAs should contribute to sustainable development, poverty reduction, regional integration, and intra-African trade.
  • EU: should be mindful of misbalance in trade benefits and engage on trade legislation.

Figures and deadlines

  • 15 November 2023: date the Samoa Agreement was signed.
  • 2000: year the Cotonou Agreement was signed for a 20-year period.