European Union (EU) Ambassador to Jamaica, Marianne Van Steen says she remains hopeful that Jamaica will sign the Samoa agreement between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

Speaking at the launch of Jamaicans for Justice’s 25th anniversary reception on Human Rights Day on Sunday, December 10, Van Steen sought to clear the air on the Samoa agreement, vehemently pushing back against suggestions that signing the treaty would limit Jamaica’s sovereignty.

Van Steen asserted that the human rights provisions contained within the Samoa agreement, which some ACP countries took issue with, feature prominently in the 65-year-old Declaration of Human Rights and therefore are not new.

“Here in the region, again not only in Jamaica, also in other Caribbean countries, we have heard voices expressing the fear that by signing this agreement, the Jamaican government may be forced to introduce legislation on allowing abortion, allowing transgender, LGBTQI comprehensive sex education and a range of other values foreign to the country. And that’s why a certain segment of society asked the government please do not sign it. And that has led to postponement of the signature, and which we very much hope that the country will sign,” Van Steen said as she sought to summarise the opposition to the agreement.

“Apart from referring to the universality of human rights, I think it is very important to note that as a sovereign country there is nothing in the agreement that is automatically introduced into law in Jamaica, or any of the signatory countries. Rather the agreement provides a broad framework to protect all citizens from discrimination and exclusion,” she added.

According to the ambassador, if a country like Jamaica decides not to sign, while the EU would use strategies to convince and explain, force was not an option.

The Samoa agreement replaces the Cotonou Agreement between EU and ACP countries which expired in 2020.

Like its predecessor, the Samoa agreement aims to strengthen the capacity of the EU and the ACP countries to address global challenges.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said that the trade and economic opportunities presented by the Samoa Agreement will be beneficial for Jamaica, assuring stakeholders that there is nothing in the Treaty that will contravene Jamaican law. Holness spoke to the issue during his address at the Jamaica Labour Party’s 80th annual conference at the National Arena last month.

READ: Samoa Agreement to be beneficial to Jamaica says Holness