The summit will take place in Gabon. It will be the first time that South Africa participates at ministerial level and higher in the renegotiation of the Lome Convention. South Africa's qualified accession to the Lome Convention was agreed to on the 24th April 1997 and approved by the South African parliament on the 18th September 1997.
The Lome Convention is an international agreement which embodies provisions which include trade relations, commodity stabilisation measures, financial and technical cooperation.
The number of countries participating in the Lome Convention has increased and it now links the 15 member states of the European Union with 71 ACP countries.
South Africa has qualified membership of Lome. However there are certain advantages that the country will derive from this qualified membership.
South African firms and individuals will be eligible to tender for projects undertaken in ACP countries and financed under the eighth European Development Fund. Some South African commodities will enjoy duty free access into European markets.
The country will participate fully in the ACP- EU Council of Ministers which is the ultimate decision making body related to questions of cooperation. South Africa will also be able to benefit fully from cooperation in other areas such as environment, energy development, cultural and social dimensions and regional development.