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{
    "id": 227316,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/227316/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 240,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Kamotho",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 241,
        "legal_name": "Joseph John Kamotho",
        "slug": "joseph-kamotho"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as I was saying, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) is a partnership between two groups of countries. The ACP particularly, includes Africa, south of the Sahara, the Pacific and the Caribbean countries; they are all 77 countries. These countries send a maximum of two hon. Members from each Parliament: One from the Opposition and one from the Government side. The European Parliament also brings a similar number: 77 hon. Members. The JPA operates like our Parliament. We debate and also have committees. We have three standing committees, namely: Standing Committee on Economy, Trade and Finance, Standing Committee on Political Affairs and the Standing Committee on Environment and Social Affairs. These committees meet twice annually in Brussels to deliberate on issues which would then be tabled in the JPA. These committees address many issues, as hon. Members said here. They address issues like small arms and their problems, terrorism, poverty, diseases like influenza, cholera, HIV/AIDS and others; and regional integration and security. Issues of governance and human rights are also discussed. To enrich the debate, the JPA invites experts from various parts of the region to come and present papers during the JPA. 496 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 10, 2007 Those are experts in their own right. The JPA also invites commissioners of the EU, who are experts in their own areas, to come and make clarifications and present papers, including answering questions raised by hon. Members. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you go through all the Reports, one theme that always comes up is on the need to ensure that hon. Members participate in the work of the JPA and the debate in the House. Therefore, the Ministers in charge are expected to be coming to the JPA to present reports in their areas of operations. As I said earlier, EPAs is the main one, because by the end of the year, it is likely that the sixth region in the ACP will be signing agreements with the EU. The question is: \"What impact is that agreement likely to have on the economy?\""
}