ACP Secretariat

18 April: Management meeting

19 April: Development and Financing Subcommittee

European Parliament

19-21 April: European Parliament Committee Meetings

Save the Date:  European Commission High Level Event on Innovative Ways for Sustainable Nutrition, Food Security and Inclusive Agricultural Growth

25 April 2016 Palais d'Egmont 1000 Brussels 09:30–17:00 (Registration open from 08:30)

Food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture are among the EU’s top development priorities for the period of 2015–2020. In this regard, research and innovation are fundamental pieces to achieve food and nutrition security goals. The EU is launching four major initiatives to support partner countries in food security and agriculture specifically addressing the key areas of innovation, nutrition, resilience and financing. Featuring a high level panel of speakers: Neven Mimica, Thiery Mandon, Rudolf Strohmeier, Monique Pariat, Marjeta Jager, Maria Angeles Benitez, David Nabarro, Charles Brand, Marie Konate, Tom Arnold.

The CTA Brussels News Service is providing EU-ACP policy news since 2004, on various key thematic areas. In addition to this news service, we also provide news on ACP intra-regional trade, and south-south cooperation (investments of emerging countries' in agriculture in the ACP regions). The main stories for the week are featured in our newsletter and all stories can be found in our Regional Trade and the South-South cooperation sections.

This report examines various interactions between trade policy, with a specific focus on market access conditions, and factors that constitute the basis for achieving sustainable development. Market access conditions vis-avis imports are determined by a combination of border measures and behind the border measures, both of which add costs to the price of an imported product. By generating significant impact upon consumer welfare and the competitiveness of domestic industries, market access conditions in international trade thus are a key determinant of the effectiveness of trade as a means of implementation.

For over 20 years, the EU has used development assistance as a lever to advance the cause of human rights. But with the current cooperation framework soon to expire, the future of aid conditionality looks uncertain. EurActiv France reports. The use of European aid as a lever of influence on human rights issues in the Global South was put under the microscope as part of a public consultation on the future of the Cotonou Agreement. The conclusion of the European stakeholders was unanimous: European aid must remain conditional upon respect for human rights and the rule of law in recipient countries.