Ray Burke
Question:38 Mr. R. Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress, if any, of the negotiations with South Africa on its accession to the Lomé Convention and the trade and co-operation agreement. [6592/97]
Written Answers. - Access of South Africa to Lomé IV.
In June 1995 the EU Council of Ministers mandated the Commission to negotiate a long-term relationship with South Africa. This relationship is to be built on two complementary elements: a Bilateral Trade and Cooperation Agreement with South Africa and a Protocol to provide for qualified accession by South Africa to the Lomé IV Convention.
The Mid-Term Review of the Fourth Lomé Convention, signed in Mauritius in November 1995, introduced provisions to facilitate South Africa's accession to the Convention. Under the revised Convention, South Africa can formally accede to the Convention, without further ratification by the states party to it, if the terms of accession are agreed prior to the entry into force of the agreement amending the Convention. Accession by South Africa requires the approval of the ACP-EC Council of Ministers.
Ireland fully supports the accession of South Africa to the Lomé IV Convention.
Negotiations between the European Commission and South Africa on the Protocol of accession recently concluded. I am confident that every effort will be made to ensure that the Protocol can be presented for approval to the next meeting of the ACP-EC Council of Ministers in Luxembourg in April, thus facilitating the early accession of South Africa to Lomé IV.
The EU's negotiating mandate for a Trade and Cooperation Agreement was formally presented to the South African authorities on 29 March 1996. A first meeting between the two sides took place in June 1996 and some progress was made on non-trade aspects such as economic and industrial co-operation, education, research, and technology. South Africa formally responded to the EU's negotiating mandate in January. In February the two sides agreed a tentative timetable and agenda for the next phase of negotiations up to July which includes six negotiating sessions on the Bilateral Trade and Cooperation Agreement.