Ashton move will not affect EPA talks

THE election of the current EU trade commissioner, Baroness Catherine Ashton, to EU head of foreign policy last Thursday will not change talks and the eventual signing of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with developing countries, including Namibia, a local diplomat has said.

‘We expect that Commissioner Ashton might continue with her trade work, or a deputy would step in until a new Commissioner has been appointed,’ EU Ambassador to Namibia Dr Elisabeth Pape said on Friday.’EPA discussions will continue early next year and hopefully the signing of the interim EPA soon thereafter of those countries which have not yet signed,’ Pape told reporters during a briefing on the changes at the EU from December 1 when the Lisbon Treaty comes into effect.The treaty was agreed on two years ago and entails the post of a full-time EU president and a foreign policy representative, which virtually equals a ministerial post. Ashton has been EU Trade Commissioner for 13 months. She visited Southern Africa earlier this year. Namibia, South Africa and Angola are three of the countries which have not yet signed the interim EPAs, claiming their concerns have not been recognised in the EPA agreement. The EU said changes could not be accommodated in the document, which had to be translated into several European languages. In February this year, Ashton said ‘no one can be pushed into a deal before they are ready and that sometimes means at different times.’ The EU’s Lisbon Treaty has now been ratified by all 27 members. The permanent president will be responsible for streamlining the EU’s decision-making process.The choice of Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy as EU president has drawn mixed reaction. The Obama administration saluted his appointment, saying it would make the European Union a stronger partner. But others are deeply disappointed that European leaders failed to choose a more forceful and high-profile personality to represent the regional bloc on the world stage, according to international media reports.The same sentiment was expressed about the EU’s new foreign policy chief, Baroness Catherine Ashton. She seemed as surprised as everybody else by her selection. The Briton has never before held elected office, and she has no foreign-policy experience, even though she will now head the EU’s 3 000-person diplomatic corps.