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Riding out the storm: Will the EPAs sink?
All parties agree: the EPA process needs a new momentum. Yet, the European Union, the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and the African Union have all missed recent opportunities to show decisive political leadership. It defies common sense to understand why, unless we assume that the parties have given up hope of rescuing the EPA…
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Editorial
The EPA negotiations may be at an impasse, but policy makers can strike technical compromises on the most contentious issues if only they can muster sufficient political will. So argue Sanoussi Bilal, a co-editor of TNI, and Isabelle Ramdoo in this month’s lead article, a follow-up to their piece on EPAs in the October issue…
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News and publications
European Commission, Parliament sign new Framework Agreement The leaders of the European Commission and European Parliament signed on 20 October a revised Framework Agreement that aims to intensify political dialogue between the two institutions. The finalisation of the deal - which replaces a previous accord that was signed in 2005 - marks the end of a…
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Tackling non-traditional barriers to trade: How EPAs can be made truly pro-development
The significance of non-traditional barriers to trade has greatly increased in recent years, overtaking even the relevance of tariffs and quotas in trade between the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. Non-traditional barriers, which typically take the form of regulatory requirements and administrative procedures to determine conformity with these requirements, can be…
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Cross-border trade in services: Barriers and opportunities in EU services markets for ACP exporters
African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries are increasingly interested in trade in services, and for good reason. From 1990 to 2006, world exports of services more than tripled to over US$ 2.8 billion. Expanding services sectors are typically associated with higher merchandise exports and increased productivity. The EU, a long-time close trading partner of the…
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Africa’s trade in services and the Economic Partnership negotiations
Services matter for economic growth and development. The provision of clean water, effective sewerage, a stable supply of energy, and access to education and health services are critical to increasing welfare and alleviating poverty. Telecommunications, energy, transport, and business services are important inputs into the production of goods and other services and hence influence productivity…
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Tailoring IP protection for sustainable development: An examination of the CARIFORUM EPA
The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that was signed by the European Union and the CARIFORUM group of Caribbean states in October 2008 offers an innovative example of how the protection of intellectual property - if sufficiently flexible to be tailored to domestic needs - can promote sustainable development. The CARIFORUM EPA takes a step toward…
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Vacancy announcement, ICTSD
Closing date: 1 December 2010 The International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), an independent non-profit and non-governmental organization contributing to a better understanding of development and environment concerns in the context of international trade, seeks to recruit a high-calibre professional to fill the following position: Bilingual Managing Editor / Writer for Africa,…
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WTO Roundup
New WTO Agreement on Government Procurement within reach by December A deal that would liberalise access to billions of dollars worth of public procurement contracts among more than 40 WTO members is within reach by the end of the year. However, it remains unclear whether China will become part of the optional scheme in the foreseeable…
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EPA Update
ACP-EU ministers debate way forward on EPAs at Brussels meeting A debate at the ACP-EU Ministerial Trade Committee (JMTC) held in Brussels on 22 October revealed continued divergence between EU and ACP positions over how to move forward in the negotiation, conclusion and implementation of EPAs. The meeting was attended by African trade ministers or their…
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Events
November 29/10-2 6th Ordinary Session of the AU conference of Ministers of Trade, Kigali, Rwanda 3-5 2nd Joint Meeting of the COMESA -EAC-SADC Tripartite Agreement on the elimination of NTBs, Nairobi,…
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Resources
Implementing the Economic Partnership Agreement in the East African Community and the CARIFORUM regions: What is in it for the private sector?, Isabelle Ramdoo and Aurelie Walker, ECDPM, Discussion Paper 104, October 2010, www.ecdpm.org Which Way Forward in EPA Negotiations? Seeking Political leadership to address bottlenecks, ECDPM-ILEAP, Report written by Sanoussi Bilal and Isabelle Ramdoo with…