22 June 2010: During the 35th Session of the Joint Council of the EU-African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, held on 21-22 June 2010 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, the EU and ACP countries signed the second five-year revision of the Cotonou Agreement. The EU and ACP countries also adopted joint declarations on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and climate change.
The agreement on the Contonou Agreement, among other things, includes new text on climate change in the context of a broad agreement on environmental cooperation, trade relations, development and poverty eradication.
In the joint declaration on climate change, the EU and ACP countries stress that climate change undermines the realization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and requires the prompt adoption of coordinated measures, based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities. They underscore the urgency of adopting an ambitious and legally binding agreement at the upcoming 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in late 2010, in Cancun, Mexico, including on mitigation, adaptation, financing, capacity building and technology transfer. The EU-ACP Joint Council also indicates the need to intensify dialogue on climate change to foster mutual understanding with a view to elaborating a shared vision on the future negotiations under the UNFCCC.
During the 35th session of the ACP-EU Joint Council, European Investment Bank (EIB) President Philippe Maystadt reiterated EIB’s commitment to actively contribute to the financing of climate change projects in developing countries and proposed to launch an EU climate action initiative together with the European Commission and EU member States. [EU Press Release] [Summary of the Joint Declaration in French] [EIB Press Release] [ACP Press Release] [Climate-L Story on Second Revision of the Cotonou Agreement]
