ACP PRESS RELEASE - Kinshasa, November 27 2010: Parliamentarians of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States started their meetings today in Kinshasa, the Democractic Republic of Congo with the meeting of the Political Affairs. The Committee Meetings are usually critical as it allows the ACP Parliamentarians to discuss at the committee level issues which will be discussed at the ACP Parliamentary Assembly, which starts on Monday and the 20th Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly that takes place from 2 to 4 December 2010. At the ACP Political Affairs Committee level, ACP MPs will discuss a Motion for Resolution at the JPA Session next week on Free and Independent Media. The Resolution, whilst praising some ACP countries for improving rankings in the freedom of the press, also deplores the worsening in freedom and independence of the media in the world, where authoritarian regimes stifle opposition through rights committed against journalists, media employees going far as murder and illegal imprisonment. In the afternoon of 27 November, the ACP Members of the Committee on Economic Development, Finance and Development will meet. Amongst the major issues they will discuss is the new European Union’s Green Paper on Budget Support. The EU, which is the ACP’s principal partner, is likely to change the wa y it deals with the ACP Group on budget support and the Green Paper and the session will allow ACP politicians to be briefed on the likely changes. The 22nd Session of the ACP Assembly will be held on Monday in Kinshasa, Congo. For media enquires email ACP Press Attaché on iroga@acp.int