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The acp-eu-trade.org newsletter -- No. 20/July-August 2008 
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In this issue:
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I. Trade Negotiations Insights Vol.7, No.6
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II. News: Highlights
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III. Selection from the acp-eu-trade.org Library
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IV. Resources from Recent Events
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V. Resources on Upcoming Events

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Dear readers,

Welcome to this issue of the acp-eu-trade.org newsletter!

During the summer period, fewer meetings are taking place, resulting in less news. For that reason, this newsletter covers the past two months, as usual giving a collection of press articles, highlighting some new documents in the acp-eu-trade.org library and giving access to resources from recent events.

ACP-EU stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the various services provided via this website with the aim to exchange relevant information, build up trade negotiating capacity and facilitate networking activities. We therefore invite our readers to take an active role in www.acp-eu-trade.org by:

We appreciate any feedback on this newsletter and look forward to your reactions. You may send your comments to acpeutrade@ecdpm.org.

Enjoy your reading!

Editor: Corinna Braun-Munzinger (cbm@ecdpm.org)

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I. Trade Negotiations Insights Vol.7, No.6
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The July-August 2008 issue of Trade Negotiations Insights (TNI), a joint monthly publication by ICTSD and ECDPM, is now available online at: www.ictsd.org/tni/index.htm and www.acp-eu-trade.org/tni

Trade Negotiations Insights , Vol. 7, No. 6, July-August 2008
• What if politics finally got involved with world affairs? The Taubira report on EPAs
• Checking the system: a review of trade preferences
• Negotiating Caribbean IP rights: a question of balancing national policy priorities with foreign trade policy?
• EPAs: what is at stake for agriculture and development in Central Africa?
• The Growth Report: the momentum of Africa
• The quest for answers: food and energy security
• WTO Roundup
• EPA Update
• Calendar and resources

Eclairage sur les Négociations , Vol.7, No.6, juillet-août 2008
• Et si la politique se mêlait enfin des affaires du monde ? Le rapport Taubira sur les APE
• Vérification du système : une revue des préférences commerciales
• Négocier les droits de propriété intellectuelle dans les Caraïbes :une question d’équilibre entre les priorités de politique nationale et la politique du commerce extérieur ?
• Les enjeux dudéveloppement et de l’agriculture en Afrique centrale
• Rapport sur la croissance :la dynamique de l’Afrique
• En quête de réponses : sécurité alimentaire et énergétique
• Aperçu sur l’OMC
• Le point sur les APE
• Calendrier et publications

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II. News: Highlights
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** All-ACP **

* ACP , EU banana producers meet in Cameroon
Afrique en ligne, 28 août 2008
Banana producers from the ACP group ( Africa , the Caribbean and Pacific countries) and the European Union (EU) are meeting in Yaounde , the capital of Cameroon , to adopt a common position for the upcoming multilateral negotiations, an official source told PANA.
The Yaounde meeting follows an earlier one held in July in Geneva , Switzerland , under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which ended in a failure.
Last month, the ACP countries unanimously rejected the WTO agreement between the EU and banana producers from Latin America , which provided for the lowering of customs duties from US$ 176 to US$ 114 per tonne of by 2016.
-> On the agreement reached between the EC and Latin American banana producers in July, which has not been signed due to the failure of the WTO ministerial meeting, see:
*Peace at last... now the real work can start
BananaLink, 29 July 2008
Just in the nick of time, it seems, all the warring parties have now - with the exception of a minority of European governments led by Spain - accepted the banana agreement brokered at world trade talks in Geneva over the last fortnight. The WTO General Council, which meets tomorrow in Geneva , should enshrine an agreement to reduce EU banana import tariffs for so-called 'third country' (non African, non-Caribbean) fruit by 35% over the next seven years. The "Geneva Agreement on Trade in Bananas ", dated 27 July 2008 , represents a historic breakthrough for this controversial commodity sector, after more than 15 years of challenges to the European Communities import policy in the GATT and the WTO.
-> Before the WTO meetings, ACP and EC had expressed the importance they accorded to the banana dossier:
-> * Mandelson: no deal on bananas means no deal on WTO
AFP , 17 July 2008
-> * ACP wants long standing preferences on bananas respected
ACP Press Statement, 14 July 2008

*Trade: French report condemns EPAs
David Cronin, Terraviva Europe, 8 July 2008
The approach taken by the European Union (EU) in trade talks with Africa has been strongly criticised in an official report commissioned by France , the new holder of the EU's rotating presidency.
Christiane Taubira, the member of the French national assembly who authored the report at the request of her country's government, has recommended that the mandate given to the European Commission to negotiate economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with African, Caribbean and Pacific ( ACP ) countries should be amended.
-> see Selection from the acp-eu-trade.org Library for the full report, a summary and the reaction by Nicolas Sarkozy.

* Les Accords intérimaires "désintègrent" les Régions
Afrique en ligne, 26 juin 2008
Les Accords intérimaires signés par 18 Etats africains avec l'Union européenne ont conduit à la désintégration régionale de l'Afrique, dénonce la direction de l'Industrie et du Commerce de l'Union africaine, dans son compte rendu sur l'état d'avancement des négociations des Accords de partenariat économique (APE).
Selon une note du Comité des fonctionnaires des secrétariats de l'Union africaine, des Communautés économiques régionales (CER), de la Banque africaine de développement (BAfD) et de la Commission économique des Nations unies pour l'Afrique ( CEA ) rendant compte de la 7ème réunion de comité des fonctionnaires, les 24 et 25 juin, la promotion du développement du continent et le renforcement de la capacité institutionnelle n'ont pas été prévus dans les accords intérimaires.


** Caribbean **

* Trade-Caribbean: EU Pact Hit by Last-Minute Revolt
Peter Ischyrion, IPS , 25 August 2008
Eight months after congratulating themselves for having become the first region within the African, Caribbean and Pacific ( ACP ) grouping to conclude negotiations with the European Union on a new trade and economic pact, Caribbean leaders are getting cold feet as the time draws near to affix their signatures to the document.
So far they have not kept to three earlier suggested dates, and it now seems that the Sep. 2 ceremony to be held in Barbados may not take place.
Instead, Barbadian Prime Minister David Thompson has called for an urgent meeting of the 15-member Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders as uncertainly surrounds how many regional states will now sign the agreement.
-> *Signing of EPA may be postponed for the third time
Oscar Ramjeet, Caribbean Net News, 25 August 2008
Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Baldwin Spencer […] indicated that September 8 has been proposed as a date for the Heads of Government to meet and the September 2 signing would therefore have to be rescheduled.

*Law of Treaties and the EPA
Trinidad & Tobago News, Kasala Kamara, 13 August 2008
The government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and of most other Caricom countries has indicated that it is ready to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU). Initialling of the agreement took place on December 16th 2007 . Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean need to know the disturbing circumstances surrounding the negotiation and initialling of the agreement in the context of international law i.e. the Law of Treaties.

* Head of CRNM optimistic CARIFORUM countries will sign EPA
Kevin Lindon, Caribbean Net News, 6 August 2008
The head of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Henry Gill, believes that all members of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) will sign into effect the new economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) on September 2. […]
While acknowledging the reservations about the EPA expressed by President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana , Gill said he expected that, once upcoming national consultations on the topic were concluded, Guyana would also sign.

* Jamaica giving up on export bananas - Local consumption triples foreign sales
Dionne Rose and John Myers , Jamaica Gleaner, 6 August 2008
Jamaica has virtually written off bananas as an export crop, and will be using the next five years to develop niche markets for the fruit and grow local consumption.
"The future of banana, for me, is primarily in local consumption, including local value-added," said Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton.

* Chronology - CARIFORUM/EPA Agreement
Jamaica Gleaner, 20 July 2008
In the light of the ongoing debate on the economic partnership agreement (EPA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade has released a chronology of the CARIFORUM EC/EPA negotiations, which should bring clarity to the process.

* Caribbean : Guyana holds out on trade deal with Europe
Terraviva Europe, Peter Ischyrion, 8 July 2008
Caribbean leaders appear to be no closer to a consensus position on the controversial Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that was initialed last December following negotiations between the European Union and the Caribbean Forum countries.
A communiqué issued at the end of the four-day Caribbean Community (Caricom) summit that ended here on the weekend acknowledged that while several countries "expressed readiness to sign", Guyana remained deeply wary of the agreement.
In his address at the start of the meeting, Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo accused the European Union of adopting "bully boy tactics" during the EPA negotiations and warned that the deal could lead to intra-Caricom competition and even fragmentation.
"The EPA will define our external trade policy with all other trading partners. Are we satisfied with this? Will we allow the Most Favoured Nation clause to stand? Each state will have a bilateral relationship with the EU. Caricom is not a party to the EPA," Jagdeo said.
-> * Communique issued at the conclusion of the 28th meeting of the conference of heads of government of the caribbean community (CARICOM), 1-4 July 2008, Bolans, Antigua and Barbuda
-> * Remarks by His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo , President, Guyana, at the opening ceremony of the twenty-ninth meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, 1-4 July 2008, Dickenson Bay, Antigua and Barbuda
Press release 207/2008, CARICOM, 2 July 2008
“In the case of Guyana :
1. We do not plan to sign the EPA until we have completed a full national consultation or pragmatically earlier if the European Commission continues with its bully boy tactics of seeking to impose tariffs on our exports.
2. I feel that in the Region we should do only what is required to make the EPA WTO compatible as agreed to in the Cotonou agreement. It should be a goods- only agreement.
3. We should try to forge solidarity with other ACP countries, those who have initialed interim EPAs and desire renegotiation of some parts of the agreement and as well as with those who have not initialed any agreement. We have broken this ACP solidarity which was forged through Lome .”

* It's official
Press release, CRNM, 5 July 2008
Following a decision taken by the Caribbean Heads of Government on Friday July 4, 2008 at the 29th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community held in Antigua . Mr. Henry Gill succeeds Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal as Director-General of Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM).

 

** West Africa **

*Négociations sur les APE : La CEDEAO identifie ses produits sensibles
Pape Sanor DRAME, Quotidien Le Soleil, 5 août 2008
Le ministre du Commerce, M. Mamadou Diop Decroix, a ouvert hier l'atelier de validation de la liste régionale des produits sensibles dans le cadre des Accord de partenariat économique (APE). […]La détermination des produits sensibles constituant une des étapes fondamentales de la préparation de l'offre d'accès aux marchés que la région Afrique de l'Ouest va soumettre à l'UE et compte tenu de l'enjeu, les commissions de la CEDAO et de l'UEMOA ont mis en place un processus de travail exigeant des listes nationales puis la conception de la liste régionale des produits sensibles et du calendrier progressif de libéralisation.

*Technical EPA negotiation meetings with West Africa take place in Brussels, 28-31 July 2008
EPA Flash News, European Commission, 4 August 2008
Negotiators from the EU and West African region met in Brussels from 28-31 July 2008 to discuss progress towards concluding a full-fledged EPA. […] Negotiators achieved progress on trade in goods, in particular trade defence instruments (TDI), sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures (SPS) and technical barriers to trade (TBT), as well as trade facilitation (TF). Discussions on rules of origin were also launched. Market access and development co-operation were also on the table. Next round will take place in Ouagadougou at technical level on 20-23 October and at senior official level on 24 October.

*Accord de partenariat economique union europenne/cedeao : La région Afrique de l'Ouest peaufine son projet de protocole
Pape Sanor Drame, Le Soleil, 30 juillet 2008
Le Comité national des négociations commerciales internationales a organisé hier un atelier consacré au projet relatif aux règles d'origine et au projet de l'Accord APE de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Cet atelier devrait permettre au Comité national des négociations commerciales internationales de se pencher sur les règles d'origine APE, les produits sensibles et le projet de texte APE.

*APE : un rejet de plus en plus nuancé au Sénégal
Coumba Sylla, RFI, 29 juin 2008
Après une mobilisation qui a pris de l'ampleur contre la signature des Accords de partenariat économique (APE) proposés par l'Union européenne (UE) aux Etats du bloc Afrique, Caraïbes, Pacifique (ACP), la fièvre « anti-APE » semble retombée au Sénégal. Certes, on y exprime toujours des craintes, notamment de pertes financières attendues de l'application de ces accords commerciaux basés sur le libre-échange. Mais des voix s'élèvent aussi pour nuancer les risques encourus, y compris chez les producteurs agricoles.

*Workshop to improve West Africa business environment opens
Afriqueenligne, 23 July 2008
A regional workshop to develop and validate the action plans for improving three main areas of West Africa's business environment opened in Abuja on Wednesday. […]
The 150 participants will produce the first ECOWAS/ ABR/ NEPAD action plan on trade facilitation, a communication and marketing plan at the regional and national levels and a tripartite way forward for the public and private sectors as well as NGO's and donors.

*Nobel Economist Stiglitz criticises EPA
Ghanaweb.com, July 8
Professor Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Laureate in Economics, on Tuesday urged the government to "take a cold hard look" at the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and negotiate its inimical aspects away, saying that the deal was not free but an extremely managed trade agreement.
He noted that "partnership" as used in the EPA suggested that it was an agreement between equals, but the truth was that the less developed countries (LDCs) and the European Union (EU) could not be equal partners.

*Regional leaders say integration should focus on development of infrastructure
Press release, ECOWAS, 23 June 2008
The thirty-fourth Ordinary Session of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government which held in Abuja on 23rd June 2008 has directed the ECOWAS Commission to concentrate on the development of regional infrastructure, particularly the development of energy and provision of intra-Community rail, air and road links as the catalysts for regional integration. The summit designated Presidents Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d'Ivoire and Joao Bernardo Vieira of Guinea Bissau to coordinate the joint efforts of the ECOWAS and UEMOA Commissions in the development of regional infrastructure, transport and energy, respectively.
EN FR

*La CEDEAO prône un APE sous-régional avec l'Europe
Ouestaf News, 27 juin 2008
Les chefs d'Etat et de gouvernement des pays membres de la Communauté économique des Etats de l'Afrique de l'ouest (CEDEAO) ont exprimé leur engagement pour un Accord de partenariat économique (APE) sous-régional ''efficace'' et ''durable'' avec l'Europe.
''Nous nous engageons pour un APE durable, qui assure la libre circulation des personnes et des biens et qui promeut un tarif extérieur commun'', a dit le président de la CEDEAO, le président du Burkina Faso, Blaise Comparé.

 

** Central Africa **

*EU and Central Africa hold EPA technical negotiation round
EPA Flash News, issued by the Directorate General for Trade, European Commission, 25 July 2008
From 9-17 July 2008 EU and Central African region's chief negotiators held technical EPA negotiation meetings in Brazzaville . […] The EU and the Central Africa representatives discussed market access for goods, with, as a basis, the proposal by Central Africa to liberalise 71% of European imports over 20 years. The parties made noticeable progress towards a joint draft text on market access for goods. Services were also discussed, as well as accompanying measures. Negotiators made progress towards the establishment of the "FORAPE" (EPA regional fund), and they discussed the reform of the Development Bank of Central African States (BDEAC) which will operate the FORAPE. Next negotiation round is scheduled from 29/09 to 07/10 in Brussels . It will be followed by a round from 27/10 to 01/11 in Central Africa and, if possible, by a ministerial meeting in November.

*CEMAC : Les molles résolutions de Yaoundé
gaboneco, 26 juin 2008
Le 9e sommet des chefs d'Etat de la Communauté économique et monétaire d'Afrique centrale (CEMAC) qui s'est déroulé les 24 et 25 juin derniers à Yaoundé était perçu comme le sommet du saut qualitatif de cette institution. Mais au regard des résolutions des travaux de Yaoundé, l'audace sollicitée par le président Biya pour transformer cette sous-région tardera à prendre corps.
Les travaux de Yaoundé auront permis d'étudier le toilettage des textes des différentes institutions de la communauté, l'élaboration du programme économique régionale, l'amélioration de la gouvernance et la rationalisation des institutions spécialisée. […]
Les chefs d'Etat de la CEMAC ont également évoqué les Accords de partenariat économique (APE) avec l'Union européenne et ont instruit la commission de la CEMAC de poursuivre les négociations pour décider un délai pour un accord régionale complet.

 

** ESA **

* Forum to highlight Tanzania's disinclination to customs union
Emmanuel Were, George Omondi, Business Daily, 19 August 2008
A week-long meeting began in Nairobi , Kenya on Monday, where Tanzania 's reluctance to embrace proposals for an East African Customs Union is expected to top the agenda. […]
Tanzania has questioned the benefits of a customs union for its citizens as the region moves steadily towards the December 2010 deadline for the customs union to take effect, set by the heads of state.

*EU-ESA EPA negotiations
European Commission, DG Trade, 25 June 2008
The technical negotiating teams of the Eastern and Southern Africa Group (ESA) and the European Commission met in Brussels on 23-25 June 2008 to exchange information on the state of play of their internal procedures regarding the signature and the ratification of the ESA Interim EPA. The meeting was held in a very good and cooperative atmosphere. The agenda was very complete covering a wide range of issues, such as market access, services, investments and trade related issues. Technical discussions were divided among two Working Groups: Group I on Market Access - including Agriculture, Development, Trade Facilitation, Trade Related Issues and Dispute Settlement - and Group II on Services.

*Fifth Meeting on Sensitive Products and Tariff Alignment
e-COMESA newsletter, Issue #163, 18 July 2008 (see page 4)
The Fifth Meeting on Sensitive Products and Tariff Alignment was held in Lusaka, Zambia from 14th to 16th July, 2008. The main objective of the meeting was to finalize discussions on the CET tariff rates to be applied to individual tariff lines taking into account regional policy requirements regarding production and trade objectives for the COMESA Customs Union.

*East African Community begins EPA talks
Eddy Mukaaya, The New Times, 31 July 2008
The East African Community (EAC) has begun talks dedicated to negotiating the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The EAC Director General for Customs and Trade, Peter Kiguta, said that each member state is to present its position in regard to broad aspects of economic and development issues. “This session will provide a final report which will be forwarded to the EU for its inputs before the two blocs meet in mid September,” he explained.

*EAC-USA Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement
EAC Update Issue 8, 25 July 2008
The East African Community (EAC) signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with the United States of America (USA) in Washington DC on 17 July 2008. [… A TIFA] between the US and a regional organization establish regular, highlevel talks on the full spectrum of trade and investment issues. The areas of discussion under the US-EAC TIFA will cover a wide range of important issues such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the World Trade Organization's Doha Round, Trade facilitation, and trade capacity building.
-> *Suspicion over EAC trade deal with US
Julius Barigaba, The East African /tralac, 20 August 2008
There have been murmurings of dissatisfaction over the manner in which a trade and investment agreement was reached between the East African Community (EAC) and the United States last month. The six-article Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) was signed on 16 July in Washington , DC to form the foundation for a trade and investment accord between the two partners.
Trade and development experts have questioned the EAC's endorsement of the agreement, arguing that there was no systematic attempt to involve the public in formulating the agreement and in catering for the region's interests.

*Consultations on EAC Monetary Union to begin
Edmund Kagire, The New Times/ tralac, 11 July 2008
Consultations will begin soon on a comprehensive study of the proposed East African Monetary Union in the five countries of the East African Community (EAC). Experts will conduct extensive studies to ascertain whether the EAC could have a monetary union similar to that of the European Union (EU) by 2012.

*EAC quality mark will be implemented, says PS
Allan Odhiambo, Business Daily/ tralac, 4 July 2008
The adoption of a common regional quality standard in the East African Community (EAC) will go on despite the implementation hitches. […] The EAC Council has formed a committee to coordinate the smooth implementation of the new law that was set to have taken effect on 1 July, 2008 .

 

** SADC **

* SADC Free Trade Area to bolster regional economic integration
South African Government Communication and Information System, BuaNews, 18 August 2008
The Southern African Free Trade Area (FTA), launched on Sunday, will not only transform the trading environment in the region, but marks an important milestone in the road towards regional economic integration[…]. During the 28th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ordinary Summit in Johannesburg , 11 countries in the 14-nation SADC signed the document which will see all tariffs and non-tariff barriers on trade fall away.
-> * Trade-Southern Africa: FTA will ‘choke' small business
Stanley Kwenda, Terraviva Europe, 26 August 2008
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that Southern African Development Community (SADC) governments agreed to will boost large South African companies' reach in the region at the expense of small-scale producers and shops.
This is according to civil society organisations belonging to the Southern African People's Solidarity Network (SAPSN).
-> *Challenges facing SADC FTA launch
Frank Nxumalo, SABCnews.com /tralac, 16 August 2008
Numerous obstacles could hinder any advantages that the launch of a Free Trade Area (FTA) might bring to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), including high transport costs, multiple affiliations, and conflicting interests over proposed tariff reforms among the bloc's members, says the Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa (tralac).

* EU softens on Africa's EPA demands
Brigitte Weidlich, The Namibian, 8 August 2008
The next round of trade talks between developing countries and the European Union on new Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), might be more open to concerns raised by African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) nations so that a more favourable deal might be reached by the end of the year, a top official of the Trade and Industry Ministry said yesterday. […] Dr Malan Lindeque, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, said the "negotiating climate" had changed for the better in the past few weeks as concerns raised by several African countries about unresolved issues were receiving more attention.

* Press statement on the outcome of the 6th meeting of the SADC ministerial task force
SADC, 16 July 2008
The 6th meeting of the SADC Ministerial Task Force on Regional Economic Integration was held in Lusaka , Zambia on the 13th of July 2008 . The meeting discussed the launching of the SADC Free Trade Area and preparations for the establishment of a SADC Customs Union. […] The Task Force noted progress made and agreed that there was sufficient basis to launch the FTA in August 2008 as scheduled.

* EU and Southern African countries ready to sign interim EPA by October 2008
EPA Flash News, DG Trade, European Commission, 9 July 2008
Senior officials from the European Commission and SADC (Southern African Development Community, including Botswana , Lesotho , Mozambique , Namibia and Swaziland ) met in Gaborone ( Botswana ) on 2-4 July 2008. Progress in talks on the EU-SADC interim EPA could lead to signing the agreement in October 2008. The agreement would be notified to the WTO immediately thereafter. These countries call for a wide-ranging full-fledged EPA, with ambitious commitments on Services and Investment.

 

** Pacific **

* PACP leaders committed to an EPA that will benefit members
Press statement, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, 20 August 2008
With respect to Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations between PACP States (PACPS) Leaders noted recent developments and endorsed the decisions taken and recommendations made by the Trade Ministers. In doing so, Leaders reiterated the region's commitment to the conclusion of a comprehensive EPA with the European Union by the end of 2008 and agreed that the EPA should reflect the differing circumstances and economic interests of all the PACPS and deliver significant benefits to all of them.

* Forum Trade Ministers' Meeting concludes
Press Statement 72/08, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, 22 July 2008
Forum Ministers responsible for trade met in Rarotonga , Cook Islands , on 22 July 2008 to consider and make decisions on a number of trade-related issues of great importance to the region. Those issues included participation by Forum Island Countries (FICs) in the World Trade Organization (WTO), progress and status of the Regional Trade Facilitation Programme (RTFP) under the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) and deepening trade and economic cooperation between all Forum Members (PACER Plus).

* Fair Trade Action! An update from the Pacific Network on Globalisation
July 2008
This newsletter includes updates on trade negotiations concerning EPA, PICTA and PACER.

 

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III. Selection from the acp-eu-trade.org Library
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*Monitoring economic partnership agreements: inputs to the negotiations and beyond
Michael Brüntrup and Tobias Reichert (DIE), Sanoussi Bilal, Franziska Jerosch, Niels Keijzer, Christiane Loquai and Francesco Rampa, (ECDPM), July 2008
With the contours and implications of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and the ACP countries becoming visible and real, the focus in the debate is shifting from the negotiation of the agreements to the challenges of their potential implementation from 2008 onwards. This study aims to contribute to this ongoing debate, in which the need to closely monitor the agreements is more and more emphasized, by making concrete recommendations on how different options for monitoring EPAs could be integrated into their legal text and realized in practice.

* New trade statistics published by the European Commission:
- Trade with the ACP excluding South Africa
- Trade with the ACP including South Africa

* Texts of the initialled interim agreements of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire:
- Accord de Partenariat Économique d'étape entre la Côte d'Ivoire, d'une part, et la Communauté européenne et ses Etats membres, d'autre part
Publié par le Conseil de l'Union européenne, annexe à la proposition de décision du Conseil relative à la conclusion de l'Accord d'étape, 17 juillet 2008
-> Droits de douanes sur les produits originaires de la partie CE
( partie 1 ) ( partie 2 ) ( partie 3 ) ( partie 4 ) ( partie 5 ) ( partie 6 ) ( partie 7 ) ( partie 8 )
-> Proposition de décision du Conseil relative a la conclusion de l'accord de partenariat économique d'étape entre la Communauté européenne et ses États membres, d'une part, et la Côte d'Ivoire, d'autre part
EN FR

- Agreement establishing a stepping stone Economic Partnership Agreement between Ghana, on the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, on the other part
Published by the Council of the European Union, annex to the proposal for a Council decision concluding the agreement, July 15 2008
-> Liberalisation schedule of Ghana: Customs duties on products originating in the EC Party
( first part ) ( second part ) ( third part ) ( fourth part )
-> Proposal for a Council Decision concluding the stepping stone Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and Ghana, of the other part
EN FR

* Council Regulation applying a scheme of generalised tariff preferences for the period from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2011
Official Journal of the European Union, 6 August 2008
EN FR
-> *List of countries considered "vulnerable" in the sense of Article 8 of the GSP Regulation 2009- 2011
European Commission, July 2008

*Cariforum EPA and beyond: Recommendations for negotiations on Services and Trade related Issues in EPAs
A series of working papers has been published by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, July 2008
-> Services negotiations in the EAC-EC APA , Francis Mangeni
-> EPA negotiations on Trade in Services: Implications and recommendations for Southern Africa , Nkululeko Khumalo
-> Investment negotiations in the EAC-EU EPA , Francis Mangeni
-> The Cariforum-EC EPA: An Analysis of its Government Procurement and Competition Law-Related Provisions , Kamala Dawar, Simon J. Evenett
-> Cariforum EPA and beyond: Study on Social Aspects and Environment , Philipp Schukat
-> EPA negotiations on Trade in Services: Analysis of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA , Allyson Francis, Hedi Ullrich
-> Market access for FDI and Rules on Investment: Conclusions and Policy Options for ongoing EPA negotiations in Southern Africa , Riekie Wandrag
-> The Cariforum-EU EPA and Interim Agreement between other ACP Regions and the EU: Investment Provisions and Commitments , Thomas J. Westcott
-> Innovation and Intellectual Property in the EC-CARIFORUM EPA: Lessons for other ACP Regions , Sisule F. Musungu

* Rapport de Christiane Taubira: les accords de partenariat économique entre l'Union européenne et les pays ACP. Et si la politique se mêlait enfin des affairs du monde?
Christiane Taubira, parlementaire de gauche à l'Assemblée nationale française a été prié le 9 avril 2008 par le Président français Nicolas Sarkosy de réfléchir aux moyens de relancer les APE entre l'UE et les ACP et d'aider à définir la position française dans le cadre de la Présidence française du Conseil de l'Union européenne (PFUE). La lettre de mission du Président chargeait notamment la députée de réfléchir aux moyens de restaurer une relation de confiance entre les partenaires ; aux leviers dont dispose l'UE pour encourager les ACP à poursuivre les négociations en vue d'APE complets et régionalises ; ainsi qu'a la façon de s'assurer que ces accords renforcent les dynamiques d'intégration régionale en cours.
Après deux mois de travail et une large consultation d'acteurs, Christiane Taubira a remis son rapport le 15 juin. D'une teneur plus politique que technique, le rapport plaide pour une remise a plat et un renouvellement de l'approche actuelle des APE afin de remettre le développement au centre de ces accords. Il propose 13 recommendations pour repondre aux requetes du President francais telles que la nécessié de redéfinir le mandat de la Commission.
-> Résumée (10 pages)
-> Lettre de Président Sarkozy qui officiellement accuse réception du Rapport Taubira sur les APE FR (original)
Letter by President Sarkozy acknowledging receipt of the Taubira report EN (translation published by Norman Girvan)
-> see above: Trade Negotiations Insights Vol.7, No.6, July-August 2008 for an English summary of the Taubira report

*Assessing the Development Friendliness of Dispute Settlement Mechanisms in the Economic Partnership Agreements and Analytical and Comparative Guide to the Dispute Settlement Provisions in the EU's FTAs
Paper commissioned by Oxfam International, August 2008
This study aims at assessing the ‘development friendliness' of the dispute settlement (DS) mechanisms provided for in the newly initialled EPAs between the ACP countries and the EU. EPAs concluded with the CARIFORUM, SADC, Pacific States, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Cameroon contain new DS mechanisms and they form the subject of the research.
The DS mechanisms provided for in these agreements are representative of a fundamental shift in the EU's DS policies towards a judicial model largely inspired by the WTO DS mechanism. This shift has first started with the Mexico and Chile FTAs. Therefore, the EPA DS mechanisms are examined in comparison with the WTO DSU, and Chile and Mexico FTAs' DS provisions.

* Rules of Origin and the European Union's Preferential Trade Agreements, with Special Reference to the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreements
Peter Gibbon, DIIS Working Paper no 2008/15, July 2008
This paper reviews the literature on Rules of Origin as administrative barriers to the utilization of preferences accorded to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries under the Coutonou Agreement, before going on to ex-amine current revisions of EU PTA Rules of Origin. These are embodied in a new (so-called ‘Cotonou+') set of rules for the interim EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and a second proposed set of rules for the EU's Generalised System of Preference (GSP) arrange-ments, including Everything But Arms.

*The EPA at a glance: An Overview of the CARIFORUM-EC Economic Partnership Agreement
CRNM, July 2008
The publication: “The EPA at a Glance”, was developed by the Information Unit of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), to provide a synopsis of the EPA. It aims at providing information in a concise and accessible way, helping stakeholders to have a better understanding about the Agreement.

 

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IV. Resources from Recent Events
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*Event: EU - South Africa Summit , Bordeaux
Date: 25 July 2008
Resources:
-> Information on the website of the French EU Presidency, including a joint statement, a declaration regarding the private sector and a report on the implementation of the Strategic Partnership
EN FR
-> Trade and investment statistics , press release, Eurostat, 24 July 2008

*Event: High Level Meeting on "Accelerating Regional Integration in Eastern and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean "
Dar es Salaam
Date: 17 July 2008
Resources:
-> Joint Communiqué

*Event: Sixth UK-Caribbean Ministerial Forum
Date: 14-16 July 2008
Resources:
-> Communiqué (on the Economic Partnership Agreement, see paragraphs 20-23)
-> Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana, Carolyn Rodrigues , on the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and CARIFORUM countries

*Event: European Parliament Development Committee: Exchange of views on the development impact of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)
Date: 14 July 2008
Resources:
-> Working document, Rapporteur: Jürgen Schröder
EN FR
-> The new EPAs and the way forward , presentation by Mareike Meyn, ODI

* Evènement: Réunion du Comité de Pilotage du Programme Economique Régional (PER) élargie aux Etats membres et aux Partenaires Techniques et Financiers, Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA), Ouagadougou
Date: 4 juillet 2008
Ressources :
-> Communiqué final

*Event: Civil Society Dialogue on Economic Partnership Agreements, Brussels
Date: 1 July 2008
Organised by the European Commission, DG Trade
Resources:
-> Minutes

*Event: International Forum on African Perspectives 2008, Paris
Date: 27 June 2008
Resources:
-> conference webpage
EN FR

* Evènement: 9è Sommet des Chefs d'Etat de la CEMAC, Yaoundé
Date: 24 - 25 juin 2008
Ressources:
-> Communiqué Final

*Event: Aid for Trade - (What) can it deliver for development?
Date: 5 June 2008
This workshop organised by CUTS International brought together representatives from the UK government, UK and European NGOs, research institutes, international institutions such as UNIDO, ITC and OECD and CUTS' partners from Kenya, Nepal and Uganda to discuss developments related to the WTO Aid for Trade initiative and identify critical issues for action.
Resources:
-> workshop report
-> presentations

*Event: Dialogue meeting on Challenges of Changing Agricultural Markets in the context of ACP-EU Trade: Identifying an Aid for Trade Agenda
Date: 14-15 April 2008, Brussels
Organised by CTA and ECDPM
Resources:
-> Highlight report EN FR
-> Conference website, including background documents, presentations, agenda, list of partcipants EN FR

 

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V. Resources on Upcoming Events
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*Event: UNITAR e-Learning Courses for Finance-sector and Trade Officials
UNITAR is pleased to announce its course calendar for 2008 intended for a global audience of finance sector and trade officials. Each course will be conducted by UNITAR over the internet and will last up to six-weeks.
Resources:
-> Further information on the UNITAR website

*Event: Meeting of ACP chief negotiators, Brussels
Date: 4-6 September 2008

*Event: AU coordination workshop on EPAs, Lusaka
Date: 8-9 September 2008

*Event: 13th Session of the ACP Parliamentary Assembly, Brussels
Date: 8-11 September 2008

*Event: Fostering Trade through Public-Private Dialogue - Business Implications of WTO and EPA Negotiations for ESA , Addis Ababa
Date: 9-10 September 2008
Workshop organised by ITC
Resources:
-> Information on previous workshops on the ITC website

*Event: Meetings of the Bureau and the Standing Committees of the ACP -EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA), Brussels
Date: 9-11 September 2008
Resources:
-> information and meeting documents on the website of the JPA
EN FR

*Event: EU-Pacific technical negotiations, Brussels (tbc)
Date: 15-26 September 2008

*Event: EU-PIFS Ministerial Troika Meeting, Brussels
Date: 16 September 2008

*Event: EU-EAC technical negotiations, Bujumbura (tbc)
Date: 16-18 September 2008

*Event: EU-Central Africa technical and senior official negotiations, Brussels (tbc)
Date: 29 September - 7 October 2008

*Event: ACP Council of Ministers, Accra
Date: 30 September 2008

*Event: Sixth Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government, Accra
Date: 2-3 October 2008

 

Check our website for more events and resources!  http://www.acp-eu-trade.org

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