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The acp-eu-trade.org newsletter -- No. 3/September 2006
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In this issue:
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Three questions to…:
Ambassador Servansing, Permanent Representation of the Republic of Mauritius to the United Nations and the WTO
Mr. Shree Baboo Chekitan Servansing is the Ambassador of the Republic of Mauritius to the UN institutions and the WTO, in Geneva. He is also the ACP Coordinator of the Geneva Group on WTO issues.
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Focus on…:
The Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI)
by Jane Nalunga
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Keeping Track...:
Financing Economic Partnership Agreements
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EPA Negotiations Update
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News: Highlights of the Month
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Selection from www.acp-eu-trade.org's Library
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Resources from Recent Events
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Dear readers,
Welcome to the third issue of the acp-eu-trade.org Newsletter.
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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!
The acp-eu-trade.org website team
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Three Questions to…
Ambassador Servansing, Permanent Representation of the Republic of Mauritius to the United Nations and the WTO
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Mr. Shree Baboo Chekitan Servansing is the Ambassador of the Republic of Mauritius to the UN institutions and the WTO, in Geneva. He is also the ACP Coordinator of the Geneva Group on WTO issues.
What are the implications of the suspension of the Doha talks for the ACP Group and how will this impact on the negotiations of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the European Union (EU)?
The ACP Group is mainly constituted of small, weak and vulnerable countries and the lack of outcome on trade issues at the multilateral level will definitely be a problem for us. Indeed, a rule-based multilateral system is the best guarantee for the ACP as we don’t have the might, the power and the capacity to negotiate bilaterally.
There are fears that if the talks were to restart after more than two to three years from now, the EU and the United States would give less priority to the WTO. But the resumption of the Doha Round depends on these major players. Indeed, the ACP is not part of the problem and wants to be part of the solution. Once the key players of the multilateral trading system reach a compromise on issues such as agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA), we should be able in one more year to conclude the negotiations. But the kind of rule-based multilateral system that we build is also important. It is essential that the outcome be fair, equitable and balanced. No country should enter into negotiations and come out a loser.
With no doubt, the suspension of the Doha Round is a blow to the ACP as it affects our chances of getting such an outcome. This will also affect the on-going negotiations of EPAs at two levels.
First in a direct manner, as the ACP has submitted a proposal to amend Article XXIV of the GATT, which relates to Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), to enable a more development-friendly system that would better fit North-South agreements. The ACP proposal notably calls for a longer transition period and greater flexibility in coverage of products that would allow policy space for the ACP to reform and adjust their economies.
Second, EPA negotiations do not take place in a vacuum but in a global trading system whose rules, disciplines and parameters are provided by the WTO. But with the suspension of the Doha talks, such context and framework are no longer provided. And whereas Article 36.1 of the Cotonou Agreement stipulates that the new trading arrangements between the ACP and the EU need to be WTO compatible, it is currently impossible to know whether the EPAs are “WTO+”, i.e. whether we are in an unfair situation where EPAs go beyond WTO rules.
Therefore, should the EU wish to go beyond the WTO and in particular insist on the inclusion of the so-called Singapore issues pertaining to the liberalisation of services in the EPAs, it should also be prepared to concede more on other issues of particular interest to the ACP as the Singapore issues have been excluded of the Doha package.
In this context, what is the future of the Aid for Trade debate, from an ACP point of view?
Aid for Trade (AFT) is not subject to the Doha Development Agenda single undertaking. It is a stand alone issue and will be brought further independently of the current stall of the Doha talks, although it will certainly affect the momentum of the AFT discussions.
The AFT issue is of particular importance to the ACP since we agreed to play by the rules and modified our position in the Doha talks. Indeed, ACP countries, whose economies highly depend on preferences, have argued for such preferences to be maintained. But with the globalisation process, it has become clear to the ACP that preferences are not sustainable in the long-term and that their erosion is inevitable. ACP countries have thus accepted the idea that their model of trade has to change and are now at the crossroad to change paradigms and become globally competitive. This implies that ACP States need to manage the transition from preferences to global competitiveness and adjust their economic policies accordingly. But we also need resources to do so. Where there is a need for extended reciprocity, at the level of the WTO, of the regions and of the EPA negotiations, AFT is one of the instruments that will help the ACP do this move. It is a key to the adjustment of their economies and to enable them to diversify, develop trade-related infrastructure and address supply-side constraints.
What is, for Mauritius, the link between the Aid for Trade debate and the discussion on the Adjustment Facility within the EPA negotiations?
Mauritius has taken the bull by the horns. The country has prepared its own reform package for its transition to achieve global competitiveness. Not only is this reform package locally owned, but it has also received the assistance of the World Bank and of the International Monetary Fund for its costing. We are now aware of where we want to go in terms of diversification and related infrastructure, and how much it is going to cost. And the EU, Mauritius’s major and long-standing partner in terms of aid, has been sympathetic to this package when we presented it for financing.
Whereas certain expenses will be covered by local budget, the private sector as well as capital on the financial markets and our traditional trading partners will cover others. But there remain gaps, and an Adjustment Facility within the EPA would help on this matter, with two advantages. It would address those issues that are central to increasing the competitiveness of the Mauritian economy, building capacity to benefit from the EPA and fostering South-South trade as well as trade with other partners. It would also address those issues which the private sector would not be able to, i.e. the important social costs that come together with reform, and cover the re-training of workers as well as the infrastructure necessary to creating the right regulatory environment and framework, feasibility studies, etc.
Therefore, Mauritius’ AFT plan can be considered as its global plan to address the country’s new economic orientation, identifying the new niche markets the country will focus on, the costs and the sources for financing the reform. As for the remaining gaps, the Adjustment Facility under the EPA would be the ideal instrument as it presents a higher flexibility compared to other sources to address both adjustment costs and supply-side constraints.
H.E. Shree Baboo Chekitan Servansing
Ambassador
Embassy and Permanent Representation of the Republic of Mauritius to the UN
37-39 Rue de Vermont
CH 1202 Geneva
Switwerland
Tel: +41-22-7348550
Fax: +41-22-7348630
E-mail: mission.mauritius@ties.itu.int
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Focus On...
The Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI)
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By Jane S. Nalunga
Country Director (Uganda)
Plot 101 Kira Road, Kamwokya
P.O. Box 3138,
Kampala
Uganda.
Tel 256-41-540856
Fax 256-41-540857
E-mail : seatini@infocom.co.ug
Harare Office:
20 Victoria Drive, Newlands
Zimbabwe
Tel 263 -4-776418, 263-4-788078
Fax 263-4-251648
Email seatini@undp.org
The Southern and Eastern African Trade, Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) is a regional non-governmental organization founded in 1996 soon after the WTO Singapore Ministerial Conference, after realizing that Africa in particular and Third World countries in general were marginalized in the WTO negotiations.
Presently, the organization has offices in Harare (Zimbabwe), Kampala (Uganda), and Nairobi (Kenya); and is also represented in Geneva (Switzerland) and Johannesburg (South Africa).
The main purpose of SEATINI is to strengthen the capacity of African trade negotiators and other key stakeholders i.e. the Media, NGOs, Members of Parliament to take a more effective part in the emerging global trading system and to better manage the process of globalization. This is pursed through technical assistance, expert advice to trade negotiators; workshops /seminars ; analysis and research work on WTO, Cotonou/EPA negotiations, AGOA, regional trade agreements and national trade issues from an alternative perspective; dissemination of information through various publication and through networking with various partners and organizations. SEATINI-Uganda is also working closely with farmers and NGOs which work closely with small-scale farmers in order to link advocacy at the international and national levels to people’s challenges on the ground. SEATINI (U) also works with universities in terms of organizing public lectures and sharing of information in order to broaden the trade and development debate.
SEATINI is involved in the EPA negotiations through technical input into the negotiations by virtue of her membership on both the national and regional official negotiating bodies; and through capacity building of other stakeholders especially the NGOs, media and members of parliament. SEATINI is also planning a number of activities under the EPA review process.
Useful links from SEATINI:
* website: http://www.seatini.org/
* EPA page: http://www.seatini.org/publications/epas/index.html
* Article Archives: http://www.seatini.org/publications/articles/index.html
* SEATINI Bulletins: http://www.seatini.org/bulletins/index.html
SEATINI has suggested the following studies:
* The ESA-EU EPA Negotiations: Technical issues in the 6 negotiating clusters – A guide for ESA Countries, April 2005
* Critical Analysis of the Study of Impact and Sustainability of Economic Partnership Agreement for the Economy of Uganda, April 2005
* The Economic Partnership Agreements. Implications and Way Forward. A case for Uganda, October 2004.
You may find these studies on SEATINI’s website www.seatini.org
See also SEATINI’s Article Archives and Bulletin pages for more articles on EPAs.
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Keeping Track...
Financing Economic Partnership Agreements
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The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) that are being negotiated between the 6 ACP regions and the European Union (EU) will entail significant costs for the ACP, notably in terms of implementation and adjustment measures.
For the EC, accompanying (trade-related) development assistance should be provided in parallel to EPAs under the Cotonou Agreement Framework, i.e. the European Development Fund (EDF), and by identifying additional complementary funding in each Regional Preparatory Task Force (RPTF). For the ACP, however, since the development assistance available under the 10th EDF (2008-2013) is not just to cover the cost of EPAs, any development resources used from the 10th EDF for EPAS will automatically result in less money to pursue other development objectives. At the 83rd session of the ACP Council of Ministers held in May 2006, the ACP called on the EU and its Member States to make a binding commitment for additional resources beyond the 10th EDF to cover EPA related costs that would be factored into the legal text of each EPA and for the establishment of an additional EPA Financing Facility as envisaged in Declaration XV of the revised Cotonou Agreement, at national and regional levels. The EU’s response so far has been to stress the importance of the EDF resources and to refer to the EDF as the privileged instrument to support the ACP countries and regions in implementing the EPAs.
Over the past few months, the EC and EU Member States have been holding consultations with the ACP in view of the programming of the 10th EDF, including the choices of focal sectors for each regional and national strategy papers and whether or not specific development resources should be set aside for EPAs. This process should be completed by the autumn 2006 and lead to the signature of a new generation of country and region strategy papers for ACP countries in April-June 2007.
The following documents, links and other news present background as well as latest developments information on the EDF and current programming.
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Latest Developments
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*14-06-06: ACP-EU Council of Ministers agree on 10th EDF
COUNCIL DECISION of on the position to be adopted by the Community within the ACP-EC Council of Ministers concerning the multi-annual financial framework for the period 2008-2013 and the modifications to be inserted in the revised ACP-EC Partnership Agreement
*01-06-06: Decisions, resolutions and declarations of the 83rd session of the ACP Council of Ministers held in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) from 28th to 31st of May 2006
See in particular Decision no.2/LXXXIII/06 on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) – paragraph III on the 10th EDF programming EN
FR
*18-05-06: A letter from NGOs to the EU Member States to reject the 10th EDF
Signed by the Concord Cotonou Working Group, Stop Aids Alliance, 11.11.11, Eurostep
*10-04-06: Council conclusions on the Economic Partnership Agreements
See in particular paragraph 11, on the role of the RPTFs as a link between the EPA negotiations and accompanying development assistance measures and paragraph 12, on the priority given to the EPAs in the preparations for the programming of the 10th EDF.
Below, you will find a selection of sources of information to keep track of the financing of EPAs
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Official sources
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* The European Commission’s DG Development page on programming in the ACP countries (10th EDF)
* The European Commission’s country fiches for ACP countries with country overview, country strategy paper, priorities for co-operation and EDF financial data
* It is also interesting to point out the COMESA region’s initiative to establish a COMESA Fund, which the region is trying to promote as a vehicle to channel funds from both EDF and other sources to help address the adjustment costs and the supply-side constraints. This would be conducive to the strengthening of the coordination among donors, use the region’s own procedures and therefore increase ownership and facilitate the management.
See the COMESA’s webpage on EPAs
or contact the COMESA Secretariat for more information on the COMESA Fund.
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Internet resources:
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* EC aid programming for ACP countries
This website is a tool for civil society actors in ACP countries and in Europe to follow the discussions on the programming of aid to ACP countries under the 10th European Development Fund (2008-2013). This site aims to share information on this process. It brings together information from the European Commission and from the negotiations in particular countries and regions. It is intended as a tool that can be used to ensure that the programming process is transparent and accountable.
*Aprodev page on the Cotonou Agreement and the European Development Fund
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Other sources:
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* Aid for Trade and EPAs – a presentation by Mark Pearson from the Regional Trade Facilitation Programme (RTFP) at the Aid for Trade and the Doha Development Agenda organized by the South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA) on 23-24 August 2006
See in particular Mark Pearson’s suggestion that the programming of the 10th EDF resources under the regional indicative programmes be used as Aid for Trade pilot programmes.
* Financing EPAs, Jonas Frederiksen and San Bilal, ECDPM, Trade Negotiations Insights, Vol. 5 No. 2, March-April 2006
* EU-ACP relations: Will the EU deliver on its promises? Information on the Programming of EC Aid for African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries, Briefing by the Cotonou Working Group (Aid), March 2006.
This briefing paper has been prepared by the Concord Cotonou Working Group (Aid) to facilitate the lobbying and participation of civil society organizations in the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries in the forthcoming processes of EC Aid Programming. EN FR
*The 10th European Development Fund – Development funding for EPAs, 2nd Technical note on EU financing for development, Jonas Frederiksen, ECDPM, February 2006.
The allocation of development aid from the 9th and 10th EDF is underway. Decisions will be taken at various levels on how and for what purposes EDF funds should be used. These decisions will determine the fundamentals and the entire framework of development funding from now until 2013 - and it will be difficult, if not impossible, to change them. The EPA review will take place in the second half of 2006, so there is a real risk that the allocation of development aid from the EDFs will not be coherent and consistent with the results of the review. Therefore if ACP countries, sub-regional organisations and civil society want to influence the future allocation and use of development aid, then they will have to engage with EU member states and the European Commission now...
See also:
*the 10th EDF tag on http://del.icio.us/cotonou_online
*ECDPM’s programme on Development Policy and EU external actions http://www.ecdpm.org/
*Our Keeping Track section on the Aid for Trade debate in the August issue (no. 2) of the acp-eu-trade.org newsletter
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Keep an eye on:
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*The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) scheduled on October 1, 2006 will focus on trade and development. The main issue is actually Aid for Trade as the EU will need to respond to the WTO task force report on this, but could incorporate support to EPAs in the Aid for Trade discussions and conclusions.
Find background information and more resources on the financing of EPAs on www.acp-eu-trade.org
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EPA Negotiations Update
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By Melissa Julian
This section elaborates on the EPA Update provided in the latest issue of the two-monthly “Trade Negotiations Insights From Doha to Cotonou”. To read it in full, visit our E-Newsletter section on www.acp-eu-trade.org, and select EPA Negotiations Update (long version) under acp-eu-trade.org newsletter, or click here
July-August 2006
Summary
*ACP take their concerns about EPA’s development dimensions to the political level
*10th EDF agreed
*The EPA review
*What’s Next?
*Central Africa
*West Africa
*SADC
*ESA
*Caribbean
*Pacific
*ACP take their concerns about EPAs’ development dimensions to the political level
The ACP-EU Joint Council and Ministerial Trade Committee (MTC) meetings were held on 2 and 29 June in Brussels. The continuing fundamental divergence of view between the ACP and the EC on how to ensure EPAs deliver on their development objectives, revealed in several technical level meetings with the EC at all-ACP and regional levels, was a focus of discussions between ACP and EU Member States Ministers in both meetings. These Joint Council meetings, held once a year, are the only all-ACP-EU political level forum in which ACP and EU Member States can discuss, monitor and provide guidance on the implementation of the EPA negotiating mandates. EU and ACP Member States officials who attended the meetings indicate that exchanges were heated, often polemic, particularly between EC Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and ACP MTC Co-President Dame Billie Miller (Barbados’ Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade). It is now apparent to Member States that further work is necessary to reach agreement on how to deliver on the development objectives of EPAs. [click here to read more]
The other major item of debate at the Joint Council, also with major implications for EPAs, was on the amount of the 10th EDF which provides development finance to the ACP for 2008-2013. EU Member States had agreed the amount for the 10th EDF after difficult political negotiations so it was effectively non-negotiable. The Joint Council agreed 23.9 billion euro for 2008-2013. The multi-annual financial framework does not specify the exact amounts for national and regional envelopes (though it does for the intra-ACP resources which are substantial). Transfers between envelopes (national, regional, intra-ACP & EIB) are also possible to allow flexibility, optimised spending and the opportunity for the ACP to table initiatives. This means increased flexibility, but perhaps less visibility of actual expenditures. [click here to read more]
The Joint MTC was meant to launch the EPA review set out in the Cotonou Agreement’s Article 37.4 which states that “ The Parties will regularly review the progress of the preparations and negotiations and, will in 2006 carry out a formal and comprehensive review of the arrangements planned for all countries to ensure that no further time is needed for preparations or negotiations.” But divergence of views between the two sides on the review process and how to interpret “comprehensive review” led Ministers to mandate the ACP-EU Committee of Ambassadors to clarify the modalities and agree terms of reference for the implementation of the review. [click here to read more]
The tensions currently revolving around EPAs arise from their potential to be powerful tools for development, their possible negative impact and uncertainties about their actual content. EPA details will soon emerge which will permit a real assessment. The EU is actively looking at how to address ACP concerns. Much confidence is being put in the review process as a way to provide information for the basis of proposals to address problems arising in EPAs. The review will help move EPAs up national political agendas. It will provide the basis for a coordinated EU, multi-donor, approach to EPA support. Informal technical level meetings amongst some EU Member States and ACP negotiators and Member States are already discussing practical ways to ensure the development focus of EPAs (through the RPTFs, 10th EDF, EPA adjustment facilities and EU Member States’ governments programming) to look at how to most effectively support capacity building for ACP on trade as part of overall national and regional development strategies. The EU is committed to monitoring EPAs for development objectives, increasing aid effectiveness, including donor coordination. The EC is pushing EU Member States to discuss synergies between Aid for Trade and EPA development support processes. EPA support provides an opportunity for the EC and the EU Member States to translate those commitments into concrete actions.
The Joint Central Africa-EC Committee of Negotiators (senior officials) met in Brussels on 12 May. Negotiations focussed on the elaboration of the draft EPA structure and its key concepts. The draft structure includes sections relating to the principles and objectives of the EPA; regional integration objectives and actors; an investment framework; competition policy; public procurement rules; reinforcing and levelling-up capacities; trade in goods; trade in services; trade-related areas; and institutional issues. There was broad agreement reached on most of the draft structure. Officials requested… [click here to read more]
West African and EC technical level negotiators met from 2-4 May in Brussels. West Africa presented the report of its April EPA Ministerial Monitoring Committee meeting which noted the progress achieved in negotiations on intellectual property rights and services (negotiating groups 3 and 4) (there is already agreement in negotiating groups 1 and 2 on customs unions and technical barriers to trade). But Ministers had also noted that there is still work to be completed in negotiating group 5 on production sectors and on the EPA reference framework. Work in all areas must be completed before the next phase of negotiations on EPA texts can begin. The EC noted its concern… [click here to read more]
*Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)
The EC and EU Member States are still considering the SADC framework for the EPA negotiations, presented by SADC in March. The proposal calls for the negotiation of an EPA including South Africa and offering contractualised EBA (everything but arms, i.e. duty free / quota free non-reciprocal) market access to Mozambique, Angola and Tanzania and the exclusion of trade related issues from the negotiations. EU Member States sources indicate that the proposal raises very… [click here to read more]
*East and Southern Africa (ESA)
ESA Ministers met on 15 May in Kigali (preceded by a Regional Negotiating Forum (RNF) meeting). Ministers noted the progress on a draft EPA text, which is still to be improved with inputs from National Development and Trade Policy Forums (NDTPFs) as well dedicated sessions on specific issues. They noted that the EPA related workload is becoming heavier and the national capacity is increasingly becoming overstretched negatively affecting the ability of these Member States to prepare their EPA positions and called for EU support to be provided to address this… [click here to read more]
Caribbean and EC technical negotiators met on 19 May in Brussels. Negotiations focused on market access (goods and agriculture), services and investment, trade-related issues, and legal and institutional issues. The objective was to achieve a consensus in as many areas as possible, in order to produce draft texts for negotiation in the latter half of this year. The EC maintains that negotiations are proceeding well. Caribbean sources, however, indicate that there was continued and increased divergence in positions on key issues due to differences in an understanding of development and proposed development solutions. The areas of divergence include… [click here to read more]
Pacific ACP Trade (PACP) Ministers met in Nadi Fiji from 19 to 20 June to discuss a range of EPA-related issues as well as recommendations on a way forward proposed by Pacific ACP Trade Officials who had met prior to the Ministerial meeting. Ministers considered a series of papers from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on various issues. The papers on trade in goods and services outlined draft modalities for negotiating, preparation of PACPs demands and offers, rules of origin, PACP proposals on trade in services and a proposed tourism partnership agreement.
Ministers also considered papers on a possible Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with the EC, on investment and financial instruments and on development related issues. With regard to the latter, Ministers maintained their call for… [click here to read more]
News: Highlights of the Month
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From our News section on General ACP-EU Trade News (general EPA)
Due to summer recess, the news section of the acp-eu-trade.org website has not been updated in August. A detailed update on general ACP-EU Trade News to come in the next issue!
*ECDPM EU-Africa e-alert -- No.1/August 2006
This e-alert aims to provide quick and regular information and analysis on the decisions and processes that impact on the implementation of the new EU Strategy towards Africa. This newsletter is part of a project funded by the European Commission and implemented by ECORYS, aiming at reinforcing the coordination, complementarity and coherence (the “three Cs”) of EU action towards Africa. This first e-alert focuses primarily on the EU and AU levels. But it is expected that in the future information and analysis concerning sub-regional, national and local levels would be provided as well, since this newsletter is expected to be a living document and is meant to offer stakeholders the opportunity to share information and exchange points of view. Please do not hesitate to send interesting links and articles which can contribute to enriching this e-alert, in particular by African partners who can contribute to the AU news section and provide an African perspective on the follow up of the EU Strategy towards Africa.
Click here to directly access the EU-Africa e-alert.
Contact: europafrica.e-alert@ecdpm.org. Please also send a mail to this address if you want to unsubscribe from this e-alert.
ACP/EU News providers
*Trade Europe: Pacific solidarity thrown into disarray
Island Business – September 2006
… decision by the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati and the Solomon Islands to continue their bilateral fisheries agreements with Europe despite a collective decision for the Pacific to negotiate as a group. While some Pacific negotiators like Fiji’s Senator Kaliopate Tavola and Secretary-General Greg Urwin of the Pacific Islands Forum are playing down the ramifications of the three islands’ position on the wider Pacific versus EU negotiations, others are not as diplomatic.
[click here to read more]
*SA govt concerned over proposed EU partnership
SABC News, South Africa – August 29, 2006
The South African government and the European parliament have raised their concerns over the proposed strategic partnership between South Africa and the European Union (EU). The impact of the proposed partnership for South Africa and uncertainty regarding its impact on SA's relations with other African countries were some of the issues raised during a sitting of the European Parliament's Development Committee in Brussels last night.
[click here to read more]
*Libya joins COMESA as full member
BusinessinAfrica online – August 28, 2006
Libya has completed the process of ratification to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) Treaty, thereby gaining to full membership.
The Libyan permanent representative to Comesa, Khalifa Swiex, officially deposited the instrument of ratification/accession to the treaty establishing Comesa on Tuesday.
[click here to read more]
* Doha lull « gives SA time to finalise policy »
Business Day, South Africa in bilaterals.org – August 3, 2006
THE STALLED Doha negotiations would give SA a valuable opportunity to strengthen technical consultation and tighten relations in the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) before the trade talks were resumed, SA’s chief trade negotiator, Xavier Carim, said yesterday.
[click here to read more]
*Bad news for the Caribbean
The View from Europe, Stabroek news – July 30, 2006
The suspension of the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) multilateral round in Geneva on July 24 is bad news for the Caribbean.
The inability of the world's leading economic powers and the advanced developing economies to reach a compromise on reductions in subsidies and tariffs occurs just as Caribbean leaders are seeking a measured transition into a well-regulated global economy for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy. What happens next is unclear, but there are signs that the G8, which includes the US, EU and Japan, may focus on rebalancing their own economic inter-relationships in the hope that this and an accommodation with nations such as China, Russia, India and Brazil may enhance economic prospects and by extension move forward the world economy.
[click here to read more]
* EU sugar reform could protect Central Africa market
Mining Weekly Online, South Africa – July 27, 2006
CENTRAL AFRICAN sugar producers said on Monday that European Union reforms likely to rob them of a chunk of export income could also help protect a developing internal market in the impoverished region.
[click here to read more]
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Selection from www.acp-eu-trade.org's Library
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* Revenue impacts of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Eastern and Southern African countries
RTFP - Regional Trade Facilitation Programme; Occasional Research Paper No.2
This paper seeks to provide empirical estimates of the potential revenue impact on ESA countries of trade liberalisation under the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and 16 Eastern and Southern African (ESA) countries. It assesses the impact of the EPA in line with the COMESA Customs Union Road Map, which sequentially implies the existence of a COMESA Customs Union prior to the EU-ESA Free Trade Agreement. The paper uses 2003 trade and tariff data to stimulate the revenue effects. The results clearly show that the impact of the EU-ESA FTA on revenue would be largely negative, but to varying degrees depending on the extent and sequencing of tariff reduction...
* Integrating environmental issues in the next round of co-operation agreements between the EU and ACP countries
EC Forest Platform - Briefing Note - June 2006 - Issue 04
This briefing note has been prepared by FERN and ICCO in order to facilitate lobbying by civil society organisations wanting to advocate the integration of environmental issues in the next round of co-operation agreements between the European Union and the ACP countries
* Annual Report on the Financial Management of the 6th-9th European Development Funds (EDFs) in 2005
During 2005, the Commission stepped up its efforts to improve new programmes' quality. It submitted proposals for peer review by a Quality Support Group (QSG) involving officials from EuropAid, DG Development and other DGs when necessary…
* Déclaration de Niamey
Nous, organisations représentant la société civile, membres du réseau francophone d'Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre (Bénin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroun, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinée, Mali, Mauritanie, Niger, République Démocratique du Congo, Sénégal, Togo), et d'Europe (Belgique, France), réunies du 5 au 8 juin à Niamey (Niger) en atelier régional de réflexion et d'échanges sur les APE, les 9ième et 10ième FED constatons d'une manière générale sur l'accord de Cotonou...
* Policy Coherence for Development in the EU Council: Strategies for the way forward
This study focuses on the policy-making processes in the Council of the EU (sometimes also referred to as Council of Ministers). Since EU policies are generally (co)-decided in the Council, this institution is of vital importance for ensuring policy coherence in general and PCD in particular. We analyse whether the policy-making processes in the EU Council allow for "development-related" inputs and where these processes are found wanting, we put forth policy recommendations on how PCD could be strengthened…
* Financing Economic and Trade Reform in the context of liberalisation. Mauritius - From preferences to competitiveness: A Private Sector Perspective
Powerpoint Presentation by Raj Makoond; Joint Economic Council; 17th July 2006
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Resources from Recent Events
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* Event: 8th Regional Negotiating Forum (RNF) of the Eastern and Southern African (ESA)
Date: August 19-24, 2006
Officials were to finalise the draft text to be shared with the EC as a basis for intensive negotiations starting in September 2006 towards the conclusion of the ESA-EC EPA.
There are no official documents available as yet. However, you will find below a selection of articles and documents produced in line with this event.
-> Malawi Economic Justice Network’s “No to EPA” blog
http://notoepas.blogspot.com/
21-08-06: DEVELOPMENT BENCHMARKING: An Insight into Day 3 at 8th RNF, Khartoum Sudan
20-08-06: NO DEVELOPMENT, NO EPAs: An Insight Into the First Day at the 8th ESA-RNF
-> 01-08-06: Response from civil society organisations on the first ESA EPA draft text to Ministers and African EPA negotiators
-> 31-07-06: African activists urge their leaders to stop Economic Partnership Agreements
* Event: Aid for Trade and the Doha Agenda – Implications for Southern Africa
Date: August 23-24, 2006
SAIIA’s Development through Trade Programme, in partnership with South Africa’s National Treasury and the Commonwealth Secretariat, hosted a seminar on the recently released recommendations emanating from the WTO’s Aid for Trade Task Force in Pretoria on August 23rd and 24th. Discussions were wide-ranging, covering the content of aid for trade; perspectives from key multilateral institutions; the task force's recommendations and their implications for Southern and Eastern Africa; whether Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations also have an aid for trade content and if so how that could be aligned with the Geneva process; and possible next steps for the Southern African region in moving towards a more integrated regional approach to these issues.
The conference programme; selected presentations; a communiqué based on deliberations; and a discussion paper contextualising the process and putting forward recommendations may be found by clicking the link above. Concerning the discussion paper comments would be particularly appreciated and must reach its author, Catherine Grant, by no later than October 2nd, 2006.
Programme
Record of discussion
Presentations:
->Recommendations of the Task Force on Aid for Trade
->Aid for Trade: Making it effective – Frans Lammersen (OECD)
->Aid for Trade: Perspectives from the IMF – Robert Burgess
->Aid for Trade: Perspectives from the World Bank – Lolette Kritzinger-van Niekerk
->Private sector participation in Aid for Trade – S.V. Divvaakar (Ace Global Ventures Mauritius)
->Aid for Trade: Implications for Africa
->Aid for Trade and EPAs – Helena McLeod (DFID)
->Aid for Trade and EPAs – Mark Pearson (RTFP)
->Discussion Paper for comment – Southern and Eastern Africa, the Doha Agenda and Aid for Trade
Check our website for more events and resources! http://www.acp-eu-trade.org
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Copyright: ECDPM 2006