MEPs endorse the conclusion of the landmark Samoa Agreement
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11. April 2024 In Aktuell, Allgemein, EN

MEPs endorse the conclusion of the landmark Samoa Agreement

Parliament approved the conclusion of the long-delayed Samoa Agreement on the partnership between the EU and members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS).

With 448 votes in favour, 31 against, and 131 abstentions, on Wednesday MEPs gave their consent to the EU’s conclusion of the so-called Samoa Agreement.

This landmark agreement succeeds the Cotonou Agreement, signed in 2000, and governs relations between the respective signatories. While the negotiations ended in December 2020, the agreement was only finally signed in November 2023 following a blockage in the Council. It entered into force provisionally in January 2024.

Alongside the vote giving Parliament’s consent, MEPs also adopted – by 451 votes in favour, 47 against, and 104 abstentions – a draft report on the Agreement. In it, they call for all parties to sign and ratify the agreement as soon as possible. Failure to sign means, MEPs argue, these countries will not be able to participate in its decision-making and political bodies, nor benefit from it, to the fullest extent possible.

Trade, climate resilience, energy, and human rights

The draft report highlights a number of areas for mutually beneficial collaboration under the Agreement, including tapping into the region’s unrealised renewable energy potential and on energy security, on boosting free, fair and open trade between the signatories. It also reiterates the importance of cooperating to build resilience in the face of natural disasters and climate change adaptation with partner countries that are among the most at risk of the effects of the climate crisis.

MEPs welcome the commitment within the Agreement to protect, promote and fulfil human rights, fundamental freedoms, and democratic principles. They are, however, disappointed it fails to explicitly mention discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender, and call on all parties to the Agreement to end the discrimination and punishment, including the use of the death penalty, against LGBTI people.

They also reiterate the agreement’s importance as part of wider EU efforts to reinforce its status as a reliable ally in a challenging global geopolitical climate featuring competition from countries like China and Russia that is hampering EU visibility and influence. MEPs are also concerned by the increased presence of private military companies and state-sponsored proxies, such as the Wagner Group in the Sahel, which undermines regional security and has profound regional and international consequences.