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The G20 agenda and the road ahead
Finance ministers, central bankers, and heads of state from twenty of the world’s largest economies are set to gather for the G20 Summit in London on 2 April, as TNI goes to press. Around the globe, many are looking towards this meeting as a critical opportunity for economic heads of states to design strategies…
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Editorial
With the global economic crisis deepening and trade flows falling, pressure is on the heads of the world’s largest economies who will gather at the G20 London Summit on 2 April. The G20’s ability to establish a comprehensive economic package of reforms will be crucial for developing countries. In advance of the G20, Trade Negotiations…
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News and publications
Economic turbulence jeopardizing peace and stability in Africa African leaders have appealed to the world’s richest countries to invest in the continent to help cushion the devastating effects the economic crisis is having on the region. With developed countries prioritising their own national woes and with few living up to commitments made by the G20 in…
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Africa, trade, and the crisis
The current global downturn is a crisis emanating from advanced economies rather than from bad policies on the part of Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. African economies will nevertheless be affected through a variety of international trade-related channels, including reduced commodities prices and exports receipts, foreign direct investment and equity flows, exchange rate fluctuations, and remittances.…
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Pacific lessons from the Economic Partnership Agreement
A trade deal between the world’s largest economic region, the European Union – and the world’s smallest – the Pacific – was never going to be easy. But it may not be just a case of bullying by the big guys. The Pacific countries could have prepared better, ensured that their interests were properly represented,…
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Regionally owned funds
Imagine a new fund in each ACP region, full of Aid for Trade (AfT) money that is ready to be spent on projects defined by the region, without going through the long process of gaining approval from the European Commission to access project funding from the European Development Fund (EDF). Wouldn’t that finally be a…
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Overseas Countries and Territories
The European Commission tabled a Green Paper on the future relations between the European Union (EU) and the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) in June 2008. (1) The document was intended to spark a broad public debate on the opportunity of replacing the current Overseas Association Decision (OAD) of 2001 with an “innovative partnership” for…
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WTO Roundup
Fight over generic drug seizure takes centre stage at the WTO Developing countries ramped up their criticisms of the EU, saying that its recent seizure of a shipment of generic drugs en route from India to Brazil violated trade rules on intellectual property and had significant implications for the availability of affordable medicines in poor…
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EPA Update
Suspicion over motives in naming Cameroon EPA Suspicion over the title of the official legal text of the Cameroon-European Union (EU) interim EPA has been a recent focus of Central African regional stakeholders, with some expressing concern over the choice of words. (1) The title refers to “the Central African Party” (comprising Cameroon), even though…
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Resources
Contentious issues in the interim EPAs: Potential flexibility in the negotiations, Dan Lui, Sanoussi Bilal, ECDPM Discussion Paper 80, March 2009, www.ecdpm.org Interim Agreement with a view to an Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and its Member States and the Central Africa Party, Official Journal of the European Union, 28 February 2009, eur-lex.europa.eu Final Communiqué…