





BRUSSELS, Belgium — Members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are among African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries still saddled with challenges related to the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed with the European Union, outgoing ACP Secretary General Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni has said.







Addressing the 100th session of the ACP Council of Ministers last week, Mumuni said relations between the ACP and Europe have not always been without their friction.







"One of the sore points is obviously the slow progress towards finalisation of the EPA negotiations. While the Caribbean region has already finalised its EPA, it is still saddled with the challenges of implementation," he told delegates at the ACP Headquarters here.







The Caribbean Forum countries signed the accord with the European Union in 2008.







Mumuni said an EPA agreement has been reached with West Africa and is awaiting ratification by the respective parliaments, while negotiations with East Africa and Southern Africa have reached an advanced stage.







He said the agreements with the Pacific islands and with Central Africa were still ongoing.



"We continue to hope that the EU will show greater flexibility and understanding so that all our regions will reach an agreement that they adjudged to be fair, equitable and just," he added.







Mumuni said the 100th session was being held at a time of considerable challenges as well as opportunities, as many ACP countries are making bold efforts at consolidating democracy and the rule of law while building robust economies that will ensure growth and prosperity in the years ahead.







"Peaceful and transparent elections have been held in several of our countries this year. Even in countries such as Mali and Central African Republic where we had some political difficulties, hope is being restored."







More recently, in Burkina Faso the youths took the future into their own hands by forcing a regime change based on their convictions about the rule of constitutionalism.







"We continue to follow events in that country and to urge the transitional administration to ensure a smooth return to democratic rule in line with the just aspirations of the great Burkinabe people," he said.







Mumuni said that among the advanced industrial countries, Britain and the United States continue to show strong prospects for growth.







He said recovery remains slow in our Eurozone partner countries. In Iraq and Syria, the raging fires of terror and war continue to rampage across once prosperous nations.







Also, the showdown between Russia and the West over Ukraine is a geopolitical challenge that does not augur well for world peace and long-term global recovery.







Mumuni said falling oil and commodity prices cannot be particularly good news for some of our oil-exporting countries.







"It is clear that bold action is needed on a global scale to restore growth and to bolster the institutions of global governance for the benefit of billions of people on our planet," he told delegates.







The Secretary General said much work remains to be done, with some small island states mainly in the Caribbean and Pacific continue to be threatened by Climate Change even as poverty and youth unemployment continue to exert a negative impact on their development prospects.





