On 12 December 2017, the European Commission presented its recommendation to the Council for opening negotiations with the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states (ACP). In the first semester of 2018, EU member states will need to chew over this proposal and agree on a suitable mandate for the EU to engage talks with the ACP as of September. ECDPM’s Jean Bossuyt and Alfonso Medinilla identify three main challenges to break with the past and foster the modernisation of EU External Action partnerships.
