Brussels 12 December 2018/ACP/: The 108th Session of the ACP Council of Ministers is scheduled to begin tomorrow 13 December 2018 in Brussels, bringing together officials from 79 ACP countries to take decisions on key development issues, as well as institutional matters involving the future of the organisation.

Chaired by His Excellency Dr. Issa Doubragne Minister for the Economy and Development Planning of Chad, the 108th Session will be the first ACP Ministerial meeting since the start of ACP-EU Post Cotonou negotiations which was officially launched in New York on September 28, 2018.

Since then, five rounds of negotiations have been held in Brussels between the ACP Group and the EU. The ACP Chief Negotiator Prof. Robert Dussey Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Integration of Togo will present a report on the state of play of the negotiations for Council's approval and guidance on the way forward.

As the ACP Group is reviewing its performance over the last forty years and reflecting on how the organisation could respond to the current global environment through a revision of its founding document, the Georgetown Agreement, the Council will be presented with a progress report on the review of the Georgetown Agreement for further guidance and recommendations pending a final report to be submitted for adoption at the 109th Session.

Several other key items and issues will also be submitted to Council for decision and recommendation including Financial and Administrative matters of the Secretariat such as its budget for 2019, Sustainable economic development, and development finance issues.

ACP Press