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Editorial
After months of high-profile negotiations, eleventh-hour confusion and delay, the Economic Partnership Agreement between the Caribbean region and Europe was signed in Barbados on October 15. This landmark deal is being billed by the European Commission as the first genuinely comprehensive north-south trade and development agreement in the global economy. Nevertheless, it remained unclear right up…
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The dawn of a new era: Caribbean signs EPA with EU
After close to four years of intense negotiations, heated arguments, studies on top of studies, impact assessments, text and redrafted text and countless hours of study and meetings – a decision was called upon to be made. We knew it was going to be tough; we knew that serious sacrifices and compromises would have to…
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The global financial crisis: what does it mean for developing countries?
It may have started with US sub-prime mortgages, but the current financial crisis is now very much global. Its ramifications – economic, political and ideological – may persist for years to come. Unlike other financial crises of recent decades, this one did not originate in emerging or developing countries; nevertheless, its effects will be felt…
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WTO rules and the food crisis in LDCs: challenges and the way forward
Developing country policymakers face several key unknown factors relating to the current food crisis and its implications for trade and development. Differing views have been expressed on how the WTO can assist in solving the food crisis in an efficient manner. In April 2008, during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual spring…
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Investment provisions and commitments in the CARIFORUM-EU EPA
The CARIFORUM-EU EPA, the first of a new series of trade and investment deals between the EU and ACP regions was signed on October 15 2008. This article briefly considers the meaning and effect of the EPA’s investment provisions and commitments with an emphasis on the CARIFORUM obligations towards the EU. Investment provisions in the CARIFORUM-EU…
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Zambia and the EPA
Zambia initialled its market access offer in the context of the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) interim Economic Partnership Agreement (IEPA) with the European Commission on September 30 2008. In completing these negotiations, the provisions of the trade in goods chapter and related annexes of the ESA IEPA now apply to Zambia. Structure of Zambia’s…
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Development friendliness of dispute settlement mechanisms in the EPAs
The analysis of the dispute settlement (DS) systems provided for in the (interim) EPAs indicates that these new mechanisms are representative of a fundamental shift in the EU’s DS policies towards a judicial model largely inspired by the WTO DS mechanism. (2) This shift fi rst started with the EU free trade agreements (FTAs) with…
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Nigeria and the challenge of the EPA
The Economic Partnership Agreements are supposed to strengthen regional cooperation and integration, reduce – and eventually eradicate – poverty, and attain sustainable development in ACP countries. A key principle is that the agreements should be concluded between the EU and ACP regions, rather than with single ACP countries. This implies that regional integration should be…
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WTO Roundup
Falconer pushes WTO farm talks as end of his term approaches Attempts to reach an agreement on agriculture in the Doha Round resumed in October, as senior officials met with the chair of the WTO’s farm committee to exchange ideas. The chair, Ambassador Crawford Falconer, put a wide variety of issues on the table in…
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EPA Negotiations Update
Ashton confirmed as EU Trade Commissioner as Mandelson resigns Peter Mandelson stepped down as EU Trade Commissioner on October 3, after being invited to join the UK government as Secretary of State for Business. Baroness Catherine Ashton was subsequently confirmed as his replacement and will remain in office until November 2009 when a new Commission…
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Resources
All references are available at: www.acp-eu-trade.org/library Economic Partnership Agreements and the Future of the ACP group, San Bilal and Aurelie Walker, ECDPM, Background note for the 6th Summit of the ACP Heads of State and Government, Accra, September 22 2008, www.ecdpm.org Agreement establishing a framework for an Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and its Member…