The French initiative for sub-Saharan Africa

At the EU Agricultural Council meeting on April 8th 2003 the French initiative for sub-Saharan Africa was discussed. The Commission expressed the view that it is important to improve preferential market access for sub-Saharan African countries but felt that this required careful scrutiny. The Commission also welcomed the French proposal for a moratorium on all forms of export refunds for goods destined for Africa. Comment: In response to this initiative the ACP Group could usefully put together a dossier of specific market-access improvements which ACP states have been seeking under Declaration XXII and other agricultural trade provisions of the Cotonou Agreement. Such a dossier could be presented to the EU Council of Ministers in the context of further discussions of the French initiative. Possible improvements might include the ending of all quota restrictions on ACP exports of such products as grapes and lamb. It should be borne in mind that the Commission's welcome of a moratorium on export refunds to Africa was conditional upon it being applied by all countries to all types of export support including export credits, food aid and the operations of state enterprises. As a consequence little is likely to flow from the Commission's apparent warm response.At the EU Agricultural Council meeting on April 8th 2003 the French initiative..