Olivia Mitchell
Question:7 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress in relation to the South Africa-EU trade negotiations. [8860/99]
Vol. 502 No. 6
7 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress in relation to the South Africa-EU trade negotiations. [8860/99]
I am pleased to report to the House that the Special European Council, meeting in Berlin on 24-25 March, gave its approval to the proposed trade and co-operation agreement with South Africa. The European Council instructed the Council of Ministers, as a matter of urgency, to take the necessary measures to secure its formal adoption. The way is now clear, after more than four years of negotiation, for the conclusion of this important agreement between South Africa, on one side, and the member states of the European Community and the European Commission, on the other.
The European Council rightly described the agreement as historic and a further step in the consolidation and strengthening of the solid partnership which exists between the European Union and South Africa in the political, economic and trade fields. The agreement is considered by the European Council as a symbol of the strong links of friendship and solidarity between the peoples of Europe and southern Africa. The decision of the European Council brings to a successful conclusion the protracted and often very difficult negotiations between the EU and South Africa on this agreement.