» BCEAM Meeting– Portugal prepares to enter the Troika

Another Business Council Europe-Africa-Mediterranean [BCEAM] Meeting took place last April 11, in Brussels. Internal matters of the Association were discussed and Mr. Paolo Logli, Secretary-General of BCEAM, summarised the contacts made with the European Commission and the ACP Secretariat.

Charles Cullimore, Chairman of the British African Business Association [BABA], gave some elucidations on the English presidency of the G8 [to which Africa’s Development is the main priority] and on the presentation of the report of the Commission for Africa – Chaired by Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The members of BCEAM, including ELO – represented by it’s Executive President, Mr. Francisco Mantero – participated in a working lunch with Mr. Hamed Sow, new Director of the Centre for the Development of Enterprise [CDE], Mr. Claude Maerten, of the DG Trade and Mr. Andreas Schwartz and Mr. Amadou Traore from the DG Development of the European Commission [EC]. During this lunch-meeting the participants discussed several relevant private sector issues, mainly the application by the European Investment Bank [EIB] of the Investment Facility [Cotonou Convention] and the evolution of the Economic Partnership Agreements that are being negotiated between the EC and the ACP countries.

Starting on the 1st of July, after the Plenary Meeting in Windsor, from 23 to 25, June, the presidency of BCEAM will pass from Germany [Afrika Verein] to the United Kingdom [British African Business Association] and Portugal [ELO] will then enter the Troika that makes the management of the Business Council until June, 30, 2006. After this, Portugal will assume the Presidency of BCEAM.