The Samoa Agreement and the Cotonou Agreement – Comparative Analysis

The article contains a comparison of two international agreements – the 2023 Samoa Agreement and the 2000 Cotonou Agreement. In addition to examining the evolution of cooperation between the parties to the agreements, the article contains a reflection on whether the intended goals are possible to achieve. The historical overview of previous cooperation between the EU and the OACPS allows to notice that the Agreement fits into the trend of cooperation lasting more than 60 years. Apart from indicating the legal basis of the Agreement, the article contains information about the parties, the period of application and the basic goals. The article concerns the strategic priorities declared in the agreements, which are regulated differently, because the new one in addition to the declarations to protect human rights, also regulates the provisions that result from the emergence of new social phenomena. The migration and mobility provisions are aimed to limit the effects of the current crisis at EU borders. The Agreement expanded and regulated both the issue of migrants' rights as well as the issues of return, readmission and reintegration. The Agreement allows for new forms of cooperation and implementation measures, and declares the parties aim to seeking common actions, positions and votes. The article explained the institutional framework that has been expanded in the new Agreement. The final provisions concern dispute resolution and default. Both procedures assume solving problems within the institutional framework of the Agreement. The last part of the article assesses the global consequences of concluding the Agreement and draws attention to its importance in the relations between the EU, its Members and the OACPS.