The European Union delegation was led by Ms Satu HASSI, Minister for the Environment and Development of Finland and President of the Council of the EU. The European Commission was represented by Mr João de Deus PINHEIRO, Member of the Commission. The ACP States delegation was headed by Mr Séverin ADJOVI, Minister for Trade, Craft Trade and Tourism of Benin and President of the ACP Council of Ministers.

The negotiations were conducted in 4 groups:

- Central Group: Political and Institutional Matters - Co-Chair: Ms Satu HASSI (Minister for the Environment and Development of Finland and President of the Council of the EU) and Mr Séverin ADJOVI (Minister for Trade, Craft Trade and Tourism of Benin and President of the ACP Council of Ministers);

- Group 2: Private Sector, Investment and other Development Strategies - Co-Chair: Mr Charles JOSSELIN (Minister for Development of France) and Mr Justin NDIORO (Minister for Economics and Finance of Cameroon);

- Group 3: Economic and Trade Cooperation - Co-Chair: Ms Heidemarie WIECZOREK?ZEUL (Minister for Development Cooperation of Germany) and Mr Anthony HYLTON (Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Jamaica);

- Group 4: Financial Cooperation - Co-Chair: Mr Luis AMADO (State Secretary for Development Cooperation of Portugal) and Mr Gerald SSENDAULA (Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development of Uganda).

The Conference began by taking note of the progress achieved since the first Negotiating Conference in Dakar in February 1999 and approving the agreement by both parties on the set of "key sentences" drawn up and agreed at Ambassador and Commission level within the four negotiating groups. The negotiations continued with each of the Groups examining a number of specific topics, as follows:

- Central Group:

= Essential elements of the future Convention
= Non-execution clause
= Migration
= Accession criteria and mechanisms

- Group 2:
= Investment and private sector development
= Cultural development
Exchange of views on the actors in the partnership

- Group 3:
= Objectives, principles, modalities and procedures of ACP-EU economic and trade cooperation
= Stabex and Sysmin
= Market access, commodity protocols, commodities, rules of origin

- Group 4:
Examination of points outstanding in the main text:
= Support in the event of fluctuations in export earnings from commodities
= Importance of debt relief
Examination of the Annexes to the main document:
= Financial Protocol
= Terms and conditions of investment financing
= Implementing procedures: programming
= Management and executing agents

At its closing plenary session, the Conference noted the reports from the Co-Chairs of the 4 Negotiating Groups on the results obtained and the problems outstanding. The two parties confirmed their resolve to complete the negotiations by the end of the year and draw up a pioneering new agreement on a closer and effective partnership to meet the challenge of the 21st century. To that end, they asked their negotiators at technical level together with the Ambassadors and the Commission to press ahead with their discussions so as to enable the outstanding matters to be settled at the next Ministerial negotiating meeting to be held in Brussels in November.