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The European Commission swiftly follows up on G20 commitments
Shortly following the conclusion of the G20 London Summit, the European Commission outlined a range of actions that the EU will take to support developing countries combat negative effects of the economic crisis. The European Commission is the first of the twenty nations that form the G20 to take the lead in following up on commitments taken during the 2 April meeting. Included in the Commission’s strategy is a promise to increase aid to an estimated €69 billion by 2010; a plan to frontload €3 billion, or 72% of its budget support to ACP nations, to help continue social safety-net spending; and a commitment to serve as the role model for other countries through new initiatives aimed at making existing aid more effective.
G8 agriculture ministers look to combat rising cost of food
The Group of Eight rich nations (G8) took a first step towards fighting the rising cost of basic food during a meeting held 18-20 April 2009. Together, the G8 agriculture ministers and key emerging and developing country ministers, called for action to tackle commercial price-fixing, among other main food security challenges, and they worked toward establishing a consensus around issues that affect access, availability, and utilisation of food among the world’s most vulnerable populations. The group also called for a study that will examine setting up a global system to stockpile essential foodstuffs to help deal with humanitarian emergencies, or to limit price volatility. While participants and the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) were pleased with the meeting’s results, calling it an important step forward, some non-governmental agencies, such as Oxfam, were not as enthusiastic. The British-based charity called the meeting a “collective failure.”
The Economic Partnership Agreement and beyond: The case of innovation and industrial policy
The formation of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) honours the commitment made by all African, Caribbean and Pacific nations in the Cotonou Agreement to conclude an agreement that is WTO-compatible. It is a comprehensive agreement that covers not just goods but also services, investment, and trade-related issues like innovation and intellectual property. This article posits that now that negotiations have ceased and an agreement has been signed in some cases, it is necessary to focus on effective implementation. Further, this paper suggests that the development of innovation and industrial policies is a salient part of the implementation process.
To view this publication, see: www.shridathramphalcentre.org/index.php?option=com_rokdownloads&view=file&Itemid=100003&id=68:the-economicpartnership-agreement-and-beyond:-thecase-of-innovation-and-industrial-policy
The CARIFORUM and Pacific ACP Economic Partnership Agreements: Challenges ahead?
This report on the CARIFORUM and Pacific ACP Economic Partnership Agreements analyses the detailed implications for the economies of the countries involved of commitments signed or initialled, including an indication of the broad country and region-wide effects. The two agreements cover general provisions related to trade in goods and, in the case of CARIFORUM, an agreement on services as well as coverage on other trade-related issues. The authors argue that the agreements are likely to have far-reaching implications for all countries involved, but that there has been almost no informed discussion of the likely detailed effects of the agreements based on an analysis of their impact at an industry or sectoral level. Understanding what these Economic Partnership Agreements mean is challenging, but necessary for both trade negotiators and the private sector. This publication therefore provides an initial analysis and could form the basis of more detailed work at the national level.
To view this publication see: The CARIFORUM and Pacific ACP Economic Partnership Agreements: Challenges ahead?, Christopher Stevens, Jane Kennan, and Mareike Meyn, Commonwealth Secretariat, www. thecommonwealth.org
News Sources
1. “G8 takes first step against food price speculation,” Agence France Presse, 21 April 2009.
2. “Commission first to act on G20 with strategy to support developing countries,” European Commission, 8 April 2009.
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