Post-Cotonou Agreement: the EU should not downgrade the ACP, African officials urge

Yesterday, 20 March, the Development Committee (DEVE) of the European Parliament (EP) held a public hearing regarding the negotiations between the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states and the European Union (EU) for a new comprehensive agreement that will manage their relationship after the Cotonou Agreement expires in 2020. According to the two parties,the post-Cotonou Agreement will have to address the possible gaps of the already existing document and it is expected to renew the relationship between the signatories. However, the exchange showed that the relationship of the two is fragmented, with the EU seeming optimistic and the African Union (AU) feeling left out.

Libya-discussions in the European Parliament highlight key issues

The key players believe that the core difficulty in shaping policy on Libya is the division between the structure of the Libyan Political Agreement and the external issues the country is facing, as well as the geopolitical interests of the various groups involved and (human) trafficking. However, the European Parliament makes an important addition to the discussion regarding security.

News Highlights: Ethiopia’s PM resigns, arrests Sudan continue, Hungary moves against NGOs

In this week’s news highlights: Ethiopian PM resigns; arrests of opposition leaders in Sudan continue; fatal accident in Libyakills at least 19 smuggled Eritreans, Somalis and Ethiopians; background to Israel’s plans todeport thousands of Eritreans and Sudanese;Rwanda continues to deny any agreement with Israel for the deportation of asylum seekers; Hungary submits measuresagainst NGOs assisting migrants to the parliament; UK to create and circulate anti-immigration campaign; politics is the barrier of solving migration issue, not migration itself, IOM chief says; European Commission’s resettlement measures waiting for response from member states.