The next Brussels Development Briefing n.40 on the subject of “Data: the next revolution for agriculture in ACP countries?” will be held in Brussels at 14h00-18h00 (preceded by lunch 12h00-14h00) on 18th February 2015 at the ACP Secretariat (451 Avenue Georges Henri, 1200 Bruxelles, Room C). Online registration required : http://brusselsbriefings.net/
European Commission
16-18 February: Commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management visits Senegal and Mali
ACP Secretariat
18 February: Sub-Committee on Development Finance Cooperation
18 February: Brussels Briefing No. 40: “Data - the next revolution for agriculture in ACP countries?”
19 February: Committee of Ambassadors20 February: Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development
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.
The European Union (EU) ambassador to Kenya, Lodewijk Briet, urges the Kenyan government to sign the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the EU, so that exporters can benefit from duty free exports to the European market. Kenya earned $495 million in sales of roses exported to Europe last year, which is equivalent to 30 percent of the total exports to Europe (including Holland, Britain, Germany, France and Switzerland). However, Kenya delayed signing the EPAs that were negotiated last year. The ambassador underlined that the new deadline for ratification is October 2016. Kenya’s flower sector is one of the high class flower sectors worldwide and employs over 500,000 people both directly and indirectly.
Full articleZimbabwe and the EU shall sign a deal worth €234min the coming weeks. Additionally, Zimbabwe shall receive trade missions from two EU countries, Belgium and the UK. Funding covers many sectors, but also targets specific areas such as food security. External investors call for clarification on the indigenisation laws. Currently, President Mugabe clarifies that 49-51% of indigenisation/ownership applied to natural resources investments.