Citing concerns over development and integration in Central Africa, GUE/NGL MEPs today voted against the ratification of an interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Cameroon in Brussels.

"If only one of the 7 countries of the Central African region, Cameroon, is signing with the EU, this is not an EPA with Central Africa as presented by the Commission, and shows that there is a problem with EU requests for access to the markets of these countries," Helmut Scholz said.

"Those countries have the right to consider that the deal is not good for their development. Negotiating and signing with only one country and then exerting pressure to get the other joining in the next years is threatening regional integration efforts. This approach is not respectful of the spirit of partnership that should exist between the EU and ACP countries."

“It is remarkable that the S&D (Socialists and Democrats group) rapporteur David Martin advised consent against better knowledge, arguing that Parliament’s recent decision to deprive Cameroon and other ACP countries of market access to the EU from October 2014 if they had not signed and implemented an EPA with the EU by then, would leave MEPs no other choice but to give consent. David Martin was also the rapporteur for that decision.”

"I urge my colleagues not to ratify this deal during the next June plenary in Strasbourg, and to request the Commission to negotiate a balanced deal with the whole Central African region," concluded Scholz.