2000 EU economic and legal treaty with African, Caribbean and Pacific states
The Cotonou Agreement established a 20-year framework governing trade, aid, and political relations between the EU and 78 ACP nations.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 23 June 2000
- ACP signatories
- 78 countries (Cuba excluded)
- EU member states at signing
- 15
- Entry into force
- 2003
- Revisions
- 2005 and 2010
- Original expiry date
- 29 February 2020, extended to 31 October 2023
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Lomé Convention, which had governed EU–ACP relations since 1975, expired and was deemed insufficient to address new global trade rules and development challenges. Negotiations began to replace it with a more comprehensive partnership framework covering political dialogue, development cooperation, and trade.
On 23 June 2000, the European Union and 78 members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States signed the Cotonou Agreement in Cotonou, Benin. The treaty established a 20-year partnership framework addressing trade liberalisation, development aid, and political cooperation, replacing the Lomé Convention.
The agreement entered into force in 2003 and was revised twice, in 2005 and 2010. It shaped EU–ACP trade and aid relations for over two decades before being extended beyond its February 2020 expiry date pending adoption of its successor, the Samoa Agreement, finalised by October 2023.
Political Outcome
A 20-year EU–ACP partnership treaty covering trade, development aid, and political dialogue was signed, replacing the Lomé Convention; it was subsequently revised in 2005 and 2010 and extended until October 2023.