Namibia finally ratified the European Union (EU)’s new 20-year collaboration accord last month, delineating the structure of EU relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) nations.
The new cooperation agreement also known as the Samoa Agreement is an international pact that will govern the EU’s interactions with 79 countries - 48 states from Africa, 16 in the Caribbean and 15 in the Pacific.
Namibia eventually signed the agreement on 18 December 2023 in Brussels, Belgium after Deputy Prime Minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah had raised concerns in November last year in an address to the National Assembly that the attorney general had identified specific issues and prescriptive provisions in 2021 that required certain actions not in accordance with the country’s international relations and cooperation policy, its legal framework, or its Constitution.
She added that these issues were not resolved at the time of signing in early November 2023, despite Namibia having informed the EU of these obstacles.
EU Ambassador to Namibia Ana-Beatriz Martins was pleased to see the country joining the large and diverse group in a new partnership with the EU.
“The Samoa Agreement provides a solid foundation and continuity to our longstanding partnership. We look forward to enhancing our cooperation in areas of common interest, from the global fight against climate change and politics and security, to the promotion of inclusive green growth,” she noted.
To create more jobs and prosperity, Martins said, the EU is committed to concentrating on the execution of the EU-Namibia Strategic Partnership on Green Hydrogen and Critical Raw Materials’ value chains with the Global Gateway Instrument and Team Europe Initiative.
Carlos Zorrinho, chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the ACP with the EU joint assembly, reasoned that the new EU agreement is a strong alternative tool to a divided world.
“Countries who choose to be part of this multilateral approach do not lose the possibility of doing business with other major world players,” he assured.
Zorrinho elaborated that the goal of the new agreement is to increase the EU and ACP nations’ abilities to work together to address global issues.
Over two billion individuals are protected by the deal.
The document establishes shared values and addresses six key areas of concern: human rights and democracy, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, and migration and mobility.
- mndjavera@nepc.com.na