***************************************************************************
The acp-eu-trade.org newsletter -- No. 5/November 2006  
***************************************************************************

In this issue:
= = = = = = =

Three questions to…:
H.E. Errol Humphrey, Ambassador of Barbados to the European Communities in Brussels.
H.E. Errol Humphrey is the Ambassador of Barbados to the European Communities, in Brussels . He is the Vice-Dean of the CARIFORUM College of negotiators and has extensive experience on ACP issues.
---

Focus on…:
The “Hub & Spokes” Project
by Nimrod Waniala
---

Keeping Track...:
Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and regional integration
---

News: Highlights of the Month
---

Selection from www.acp-eu-trade.org's Library
---

Resources from Recent Events

= = = = = = =

Dear readers,

With this newsletter, we hope to enhance the dissemination of the wide variety of publicly available information and initiatives on trade issues between the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of States and the European Union (EU) and to shed a non partisan light on what is also happening away from the table of negotiations of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and closer to official and non-official inputs and outcomes that contribute towards adding perspective to - and shaping - the debate.

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:

- Registering on-line as a trade and development expert to help mobilise the best expertise in ACP-EU trade and development matters and give interested parties easier access to information on relevant internationally recognized experts or consultants;
- Submitting relevant background and policy documents, news and links that will enrich the ACP-EU trade debate;
- Subscribing to our monthly newsletter as well as other partners' to be kept informed of latest developments in the ACP-EU trade realm;
- Sharing your views on the current ACP-EU Trade debate and providing feedback on the relevance and future focus areas of www.acp-eu-trade.org

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: Davina Makhan (dm@ecdpm.org)

---
Three Questions to…
H.E. Errol Humphrey, Ambassador of Barbados to the European Communities in Brussels
---
H.E. Errol Humphrey is the Ambassador of Barbados to the European Communities, in Brussels . He is the Vice-Dean of the CARIFORUM College of negotiators and has extensive experience on ACP issues.

1. On the 30th&31st of October, ACP Trade Ministers and Chief negotiators attended the third ACP Chief negotiators coordination meeting in Berlin and met with the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development. What were the expectations and the outcomes of the meetings and how will they impact on the course of the EPA negotiations and the current review?

The ACP Ministerial Group was looking for an opportunity to exchange views with Germany's Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mrs, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul and her team about ACP concerns with respect to the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and to get some feeling as to how these concerns might be addressed in the context of the coming German Presidency as from January 1, 2007. It was seen as a good time to interact with counterparts in the EPA process, strengthen contacts in Germany and build relations between ACP Ministers and a key EU Member State.

On the occasion, the ACP delegation wanted to discuss the development dimension and the funding for EPA implementation, as well as regional integration in the ACP, the approach to trade liberalisation and the so-called Singapore issues.

The German Minister reacted favourably to the presentations by her ACP counterparts and her expressed understanding of the ACP concerns, which was highly appreciated by the group. Mrs Wieczorek-Zeul also spoke about the recent General Affairs and External Relations' Council decision to commit two billion Euros to Aid-for-Trade for developing countries, with most of the funds earmarked for EPA support, as an indication of the willingness of EU Member States to look for resources outside the European Development Fund (EDF) to support EPA-related adjustment. The German Minister also encouraged the ACP Ministers to further interact with other EU Member States on the EPAs.

At the meetings in Berlin , ACP Chief Negotiators also reported to their Ministers on progress made in the EPA negotiations and received guidance as to the best way forward in advancing ACP interests in the negotiations. ACP Trade Ministers reiterated the importance of the definition and articulation of the development aspects of EPAs. It was agreed that we need to be more precise in setting out clearly what we mean by the “Development dimension” of EPAs and how we see the European Commission working with ACP countries to give tangible effect to the concept of development. It was also agreed that a mechanism for funding EPA-related costs was necessary, possibly something in line with Aid for Trade, because everyone is unhappy with the burdensome procedures and slow disbursement under the EDF.

Ministers also agreed on the need for the current EPA review to be comprehensive and to be concluded as soon as possible, with the objective of allowing Ministers to sign-off on the results and recommendations some time early next year. It is not yet clear what forum would be used for this Ministerial decision making but both the German Minister and her ACP colleagues supported the idea of an early meeting.

2. In what context did the two-day meeting of ACP Ministers at the Commonwealth Secretariat's Headquarters in London take place early November and what were the results of the discussions held?

The meeting in London was based on the same principle as the prior session in Berlin, namely providing an opportunity for the ACP Ministers to interact with EU Member States at a high-level and to exchange views with the UK's Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Alistair Darling, and Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn on ACP concerns with respect to the EPAs.

It was also a good opportunity for the ACP to express its appreciation of and support for the letter which the UK Ministers recently addressed to the European Commission (EC) on its approach to trade liberalisation with the ACP countries ( Editor's note: see for instance, Alan Beattie's article of 16 October 2006 in the Financial Times, “UK urges EU to ease trade laws for poor nations”). We know that the letter did not reflect an agreed EU position and we wanted to show our appreciation for this important UK initiative and to encourage the possibility of other EU Member to speak out this matter.

The same issues that were discussed with the Germans were also raised with the UK Ministers, namely regional integration, the development dimension, the Aid for Trade decision from the last GAERC and trade liberalisation issues. The two UK Ministers were sympathetic to the views expressed by their ACP counterparts.

Although it is the EC and not Member States that sits at the negotiating table, we see such opportunities to interact between the ACP and EU Member States and to share views on EPAs as important. Indeed, although the EC's negotiating mandate cannot be easily redone, the EC is negotiating on behalf of the Member States and we believe that Member States can have considerable influence on the process and can sensitise the EC to take into consideration ACP concerns.

The ACP's EPA negotiations with the EC are very difficult. The approach to regional integration, the question of development support and trade liberalisation are all important issues on which we have a divergence of opinion with the Commission. However, we concur on the overall principles and objectives, if not always the path towards implementation and there are also a number of other issues on which we have already reached agreement.

It is important to note that, whereas we are concerned by the EC's approach to regional integration, ACP countries are by no means opposed to regional integration as such. But we need to be able to conduct this process at our own pace and taking our own development strategies and political realities into consideration.

Furthermore, in terms of trade liberalisation, the ACP are requesting that an asymmetrical approach be taken, notably that lengthy transition periods should be allowed ACP countries, in a similar manner to the longer transition periods granted by the EU and the US to other developing countries, more advanced than those in the ACP, in recently concluded free trade agreements.

When we speak of development in the ACP, we are not only talking about money. We are also referring to trade-related issues such as longer transition periods, more flexible rules of origin, less stringent rules and other developmental issues such as the definition of product coverage or what constitutes “substantially all trade”. Obviously, there will be financial implications and supply-side constraints and trade capacity measures must be addressed before any further trade liberalisation, but it is not all about money.

3. At the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) held mid-October, the EU Member States agreed to provide bilateral funds for Aid for Trade on top of the EDF administered by the EC, a 2 billion euros share of which will be utilized in the context of the EPA negotiations. How does the ACP group view this decision?

For the ACP, this is a positive decision, and a step in the right direction. But we need to go further. It is not quite clear where the 2 billion euros will come from in terms of the additionality of resources. We are also wondering what would be the mechanism for delivery of these resources and where do we go beyond that first step. Only when we have answers to these questions will we be able to determine how useful this decision is and how to what extent ACP countries will be able to benefit.

H.E. Errol Humphrey
Ambassador
Embassy of Barbados to the European Communities
100 Avenue Franklin Roosevelt
B-1050 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32 2 732 17 37
Fax: +32 2 732 32 66
Email: brussels@foreign.gov.bb

---
Focus On...
The “Hub & Spokes” Project
---
by Nimrod Waniala
Project Manager - Hub & Spoke Project
Secretary-General's Office
Commonwealth Secretariat
Marlborough House
Pall Mall
London SW1Y 5HX
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7747 6145
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7004 3790
E-mail: n.waniala@commonwealth.int
Web: www.thecommonwealth.org

In 2002, the Commonwealth Secretariat (ComSec) launched a pilot programme in the Pacific and African regions to assist ACP countries in enhancing their limited capacity to formulate policy negotiation positions and implement obligations arising from these trade arrangements.

Based in part on the success of the pilot programme and recognising the need for a comprehensive and coherent approach, a major trade policy initiative for ACP countries - the Building the Capacity of ACP Countries in Trade policy Formulation, Negotiations and Implementation (“Hub & Spokes”) Project - was launched in December 2004.

The Project is a joint initiative between the European Commission (EC), the ComSec and the Agence Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie (AIF), (now the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie(OIF)), with the support of the ACP Secretariat. ComSec is responsible for the implementation of the Project in ACP member states of the Caribbean, Pacific, Eastern and Southern Africa regions and the African Union (AU). AIF is responsible for the implementation of the Project in the regions of West and Central Africa . The Project forms part of the EC TradeCom Facility.

The goal of the project is to promote the effective participation of ACP states in international trade negotiations and re-enforce their capacity to formulate trade policies in compliance with their overall development strategies. The outputs expected to contribute to this goal are:

•  Key stakeholders in ACP countries are trained and sensitised by in trade policy issues; through the delivery of training and sensitisation programmes for government trade officials, trade policy analysts, private sector actors, negotiators and other stakeholders;

•  ACP countries are supported in analysing, formulating, negotiating trade policies; through skills enhancement of trade officials in the collection and analysis of trade data; a critical ingredient in formulating government negotiating positions. The project will also conduct awareness seminars required for WTO Agreement notifications and assist countries in fulfilling these requirements;

•  ACP countries are supported in developing national and regional networks; by assisting ACP countries to identify key players in trade policy matters and by the hosting of consultative platforms that will bring together all stakeholders involved in trade policy matters to discuss and influence trade policies;

To achieve the above results, the project has contracted a team of 6 regionally based Regional Trade Policy Advisers (RTPA) that have been appointed at the COMESA, SADC, CARICOM , OECS and PIF Secretariats, as well as at the AU Commission. It also aims at contracting nationally based Trade Policy Analysts (TPA) in at least 23 beneficiary countries (out of 55 eligible ACP countries) and at 6 regional secretariats, some of which have already taken up their position.

The UN Human Development Index (HDI) and an initial needs assessment by Comsec complemented by RTPA assessments were used to determine beneficiary countries.

Useful links:

The Hub and Spokes Project's page

The Commonwealth Secretariat's website: www.thecommonwealth.org

Organisation internationale de la francophonie: www.francophonie.org

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa : www.comesa.int

Southern African Development Community: www.sadc.int

Caribbean Community: www.caricom.org

Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States : www.oecs.org

Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat : www.forumsec.org.fj

---
Keeping track on…
Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and regional integration
---

Regional integration is a key principle of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) currently negotiated between the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries and the European Union (EU). However, to effectively build on and strengthen regional integration, EPAs have to strike a careful balance between stimulating the creation of effective regional markets in the ACP and respecting the autonomous regional integration agenda of ACP countries.

This proves to be a challenging task. In Africa for instance, the configuration of the self-determined groups negotiating an EPA with the EU does not match that of the Regional and Economic Communities (RECs) on the continent, which themselves are characterised by an overlap in their membership.

Over the last year, there have been some changes in terms of membership both at the level of the RECs and of the EPA regional groupings. For instance and to name a few, Libya became a full member of COMESA last August, Rwanda and Burundi are set to be admitted to the EAC, and East African Legislators have been calling for Tanzania to withdraw from SADC and for Kenya and Uganda to pull out from COMESA; as for the EPA configurations, the Democratic Republic of Congo decided at the end of last year to leave the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA)-EPA configuration and to negotiate an EPA together with CEMAC instead, whereas Cape Verde has recently announced that it will not be a party to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)-EPA with the EU and that it wants to negotiate its own EPA with Brussels.

In addition, the availability of the “Everything But Arms” (EBA) initiative, which provides non-reciprocal preference to Least Developed Countries (LDCs), creates a dichotomy between LDCs and non-LDCs that cuts through all ACP regions negotiating an EPA. This may create tensions in the respective regional integration processes, as ACP LDCs may have interests on EPAs that differ from non-LDC members of their region.

How can these discrepancies be overcome? In March of this year, the SADC region proposed an EPA Strategic Framework to the EU, which notably called for full EBA market access to be granted to all SADC member states in 2008 and for LDCs to be exempted from providing market access to the EU. The EU has not yet responded to the SADC's proposal, sources indicating that the proposal raised very complex political and economic issues , including on the coherence of the SADC regional integration, which could set precedents for other EPA negotiations. The document further calls for all member states of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) to be involved in both the EPA negotiations and the current South Africa-EU Trade and Development Cooperation Agreement (TDCA) review, in order to accommodate the interests and the sensitivities of the other SACU members (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland), which de facto are already implementing the TDCA. However, the review of the TDCA has so far not progressed.

While the advancement of regional integration is an aim of EPAs shared by all parties, it is still difficult to say whether EPAs will effectively strengthen regional integration in the ACP. The current review of the EPA negotiations provides an opportunity to reassess and further harmonize the relationship between regional integration and EPAs, taking into account the objectives and capacity constraints of the regional groupings.

Below, you will find a selection of latest developments and sources of information to keep track of the issue of regional integration and EPAs

-------------------------
Latest Developments:
-------------------------

* 13-11-06 : Council gives go-ahead to negotiations aimed at revising the EU-SA TDCA
The Council reached political agreement on the following draft decisions:
– a decision authorising the opening of negotiations with South Africa in order to revise the EU-South Africa agreement on trade, development and cooperation;
– a decision giving guidance to the Commission for the revision of the agreement on trade, development and cooperation.
Both decisions will be formally adopted at a forthcoming Council meeting.

* 10-11-06 : East Africa : East African States to Debate Comesa and SADC Withdraw
The New Times, Kigali , November 10, 2006
The East African Legislative Assembly will on December 5, converge in Arusha , Tanzania to debate the East African Community (EAC) membership with other trading blocs. Both Uganda and Kenya are members of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Tanzania , the other EAC partner state, also belongs to Southern African Development Community (SADC). [click here to read more]

* 19-10-06 : EPAs: Fostering regional integration and development?
Organised by the European Parliament Socialist Group, European Parliament, Brussels
Resources:
Background speaking notes by San Bilal, ECDPM
For a Caribbean perspective see the presentation by G. Anthony Hylton, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica

* 05-09-06: Cape Verde ignores ECOWAS, wants direct deal with the EU
afrol News, 5 September 2006
Cape Verde will not be a party to the future Economic Partnership Accord (EPA) currently in preparation between the European Union (EU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Cape Verde has opted to negotiate its own EPA directly with Brussels . [click here to read more]

* Trade Negotiations Insights, vol. 5-2 and vol.5-3
See the EPA Negotiations Update for an outline of the SADC's EPA Strategic Framework proposal.

--------------------
Official Sources:
--------------------

* African Union : www.africa-union.org
AU's page on Regional Economic Communities: http://www.africa-union.org/About_AU/Abrecs.htm

Regional Economic Communities:
*Community of Sahel-Saharan States: www.cen-sad.org
* Economic Community of Central African States – Communauté Economique des Etats de l'Afrique centrale : www.ceeac-eccas.org
* Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa : www.comesa.int
* Southern African Development Community: www.sadc.int
* Economic Community of West African States: www.ecowas.int
* Union du Maghreb Arabe : www.maghrebarabe.org
* Intergovernmental Authority for Development : www.igad.dj
* East African Community: www.eac.int  

* Union Economique et monétaire Ouest Africaine: www.uemoa.int
* Communauté Economique et Monétaire d'Afrique Centrale: www.cemac.cf

* Caribbean Community: www.caricom.org

* Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat : www.forumsec.org
See in particular PIFS' Pacific plan for strengthening regional cooperation and integration: www.pacificplan.org
* Pacific Regional Economic Integration Programme: www.pacreip.org
See in particular, PACREIP's page on EPAs

Find more ACP regional organisations on http://www.acp-eu-trade.org/links

----------------------
Internet resources:
----------------------

* Bilaterals.org
Bilaterals.org is a collective effort to share information and stimulate cooperation against bilateral trade and investment agreements that are opening countries to the deepest forms of penetration by transnational corporations.
http://www.bilaterals.org

* United Nations University – Comparative Regional Integration Studies
The mission of UNU-CRIS is to contribute towards achieving the universal goals of the UN through comparative and interdisciplinary research and training for better understanding of the processes and impact of intra- and inter-regional integration. The aim is to build policy-relevant knowledge about new forms of governance and co-operation, and to contribute to capacity building on issues of integration and co-operation particularly in developing countries. UNU-CRIS will work in partnership with initiatives and centres throughout the world that are concerned with issues of integration and co-operation.
http://www.cris.unu.edu/

* Africa Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) – A project of the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
The primary objective of the ATPC is to strengthen the human, institutional and policy capacity of African governments to formulate and implement sound trade policies and participate more effectively in international trade negotiations. The ATPC's niche is to assist the articulation of Africa-wide perspectives and positions on trade issues. The Centre takes both a national and regional perspective and is expected to provide its services over the long-term, rather than the shorter time frames of other trade-related technical assistance projects.
http://www.uneca.org/atpc

* tralac's page on Regional Trade Agreements:
News, Discussions, Resources and Events on Regional and Bilateral trade agreements in Africa.
http:/rta.tralac.org

---------------------
Other sources:
---------------------

* Overview of Regional EPA Negotiations InBriefs, ECDPM
This new InBrief series aims at providing a wide range of ACP and EU stakeholders with background information on the EPA negotiations at the level of each region. In addition, each InBrief of this series will be complemented by a regular update on the state of the EPA negotiations. EN FR

* Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs): the ACP regions and their relations with the EU, San Bilal, Paper presented at the 3rd ECPR Conference, Budapest, 8-10 September 2005
The purpose of this paper is to review of principles and process of EPA negotiations, taking into the regional dimension of these new trading arrangements. The paper discusses the coherence between the EPA process, its development dimension and the regional integration agenda of ACP regions, in particular in Africa where overlapping membership to regional groupings is common. In doing so, it also attempt to assess how the EU is trying to support and influence ACP regionalism. Finally, the paper argues that the entry into force of EPAs might be the first step to an irreversible dismantlement of the ACP Group and the various provisions of the Cotonou Agreement.

* Trade Negotiations Insights
For a regular update on the EPA negotiating processes EN FR

* Key documents on the Pacific Plan

* Monitoring Regional Integration in the Caribbean and the role of the EU , Philippe De Lombaerde, United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies - UNU-CRIS Occasional Papers, O-2005/16

* Overlapping membership in COMESA, EAC, SACU and SADC: trade policy options for the region and for EPA negotiations, Regine Qualmann, Trudi Hartzenberg, Cord Jakobeit, Nick Charalambides, Heinz-Michael Stahl. 2005. GTZ

* Event : The 7th African Union Summit, from June 25 to July 2, 2006, in Banjul, The Gambia, focussed on the "Rationalisation of RECs and regional integration"
Background documents to this event:
-> Nairobi Declaration on Economic Partnership Agreements
-> Resolution on the rationalisation and the harmonisation of the regional economic communities

* Event : Ministerial meeting on the rationalization of Regional Economic Communities (RECs)
Date: March 27 to March 31, 2006
Resources:
->Consultative meetings of Accra and Lusaka: Consolidated report EN FR
->Declaration of the first conference of African ministers of integration
->Report of the first conference of African ministers of integration EN FR

* Upcoming event: Meeting between the AU and the RECs on the draft EPA MoU
Khartoum , Sudan
Date : December 4-5, 2006

Find more documents on regional integration and EPAs in the acp-eu-trade.org Library by entering “regional integration” in the search field

---
News: Highlights of the Month
---

* L'E-alert Afrique-UE désormais disponible en français! Veuillez contacter les éditeurs pour plus d'informations*

* EU-Africa e-alert -- No. 3 / November 2006
Contents
I – Focus: The institutional future of the African Union
II – The African Union: Africa in a broader context and the RECs
III – EU external aid: EDF 10, new instruments of EC external aid and EU development cooperation policy
IV – Peace and Security
V – Governance
VI – EPA negotiations
VII – Migration and development
VIII – EU-AU relations and follow up of the EU Strategy for Africa
IX – An actor in EU-AU relations: Avenir NEPAD

Click here to access directly 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.

From our acp-eu-trade.org News section:

* 13-11-06 : Regarding Aid for Trade and EPAs
Regarding Aid for Trade and EPAs, EU Member State sources indicate that one issue is that the Commission and many EU Member States are saying that it is difficult to commit to funding until we know what the exact commitments in the EPA's will be while many ACP's seem to be hesitant to enter into commitments without knowing ahead the level of support. The Commission stresses that there are a lot of resources in the 10th EDF alone, but these would need to be programmed now, so concrete proposals are needed.

* 13-11-06 : EC working on a Communication to modify EPA mandate
EC working on a Communication from the Commission to the Council Communication to modify the directives for the negotiations of economic partnership agreements with ACP countries and regions COM (2006) 673/1 of 03/11/2006

From ACP-EU News providers:

*Think again!...Kinnock tells ACP/EU Assembly it's time for radical rethink
The Barbados Advocate, 21 November 2006
THE expiration of the World Trade Organisation waiver should not be used to argue for the need to sign up to an agreement that is perceived as detrimental to ACP development interests. This was the strong statement coming from Co-President of the Joint African, Caribbean and Pacific states/European Union (ACP/EU) Parliamentary Assembly, Glennis Kinnock, as she addressed that group's 12th session at the Sherbourne Conference Centre yesterday. [click here to read more]

See also the European Parliament, Press service, 21 November 2006
The twelfth session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, which brings together MEPs and parliamentarians from 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, started its work on Monday 20 November in Barbados . Economic Partnership Agreements and the situation in East Africa were among the issues raised in the opening speeches. [click here to read more]

and the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly website: EN FR

* Mandelson urges African businesses to help seal EPAs
People's Daily Online, 17 November 2006
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson on Thursday urged African business leaders to be partners and constructive critics as the talks on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) between the European Union (EU) and four African regions enter their final year. Speaking to the EU-Africa Business forum in Brussels , Mandelson said the EPAs are a tool for development, but it is African businesses who will be the engine. [click here to read more]

* Draft EU-Caribbean Agreement Shows Escalated IP Provisions
By William New, Intellectual Property Watch, 17 November 2006
A new “non-paper” by the European Communities on the economic partnership agreement under negotiation with 15 Caribbean countries shows an elevation of intellectual property standards above global trade rules. [click here to read more]

* Strategic Partnership between EU and South Africa to be developed EN FR
www.eu2006.fi , 14 November 2006
The EU Troika and The Republic of South Africa adopted a Joint Statement on an EU - South Africa Strategic Partnership in the meeting of EU-South Africa Joint Cooperation Council in Brussels on November 14. The Strategic Partnership aims to enhance the existing cooperation between EU and South Africa by moving to shared objectives and strategic political cooperation on regional, African and global issues. The next step is to develop a Joint Action Plan for the Partnership, Director General Aapo Pölhö told a press conference on behalf of the Presidency. [click here to read more]

*Developing countries bridle at EU's trade deal ideas
Alan Beattie, FT.com, Financial Times, 8 November 2006
Developing countries are digging in against the European Commission's proposals for new trade deals,saying its approach is incoherent and its promises of €2bn ($2.6bn, £1.3bn) in extra aid suspect. [click here to read more]

* EPAs: public debates and priority of the forthcoming German presidency
EU News, Issue 9, 3 November 2006
[…] The German EU Presidency has set itself an ambitious agenda aiming at the “successful conclusion of the EPA negotiations within the set timetable”; arguing that otherwise the risk of opening up the EU markets to India , China , Brazil and others will be detrimental to ACP interests. Key to a development friendly EPA for the German Presidency would be the proposal for an “EBA for all (ACP countries)” to which EU Member States would need to agree, a monitoring mechanism in place for the EPA process and implementation, and binding economic and policy reforms on ACP side to a development and trade agreement. [click here to read more]

See also acp-eu-trade.org's News section, updated every week!


---
Selection from www.acp-eu-trade.org's Library
---

* EPA Development Support - Consequences of GAERC conclusions for EPAs
ECDPM, EPA Development Support InBrief 16A - November 2006
This Note presents a preliminary analysis of the major issues at stake assessing the GAERC Conclusions on Aid for Trade vis-à-vis the requests made by the ACP in terms of development support to EPAs,with the objective of presenting some basic facts, clarifying the debate and facilitating dialogue between involved stake holders.

* EPA Development Support: Possible Scenarios for EPA-related support mechanisms
ECDPM, EPA Development Support InBrief 16B - November 2006
This InBrief aims at clarifying the debate on the various dimensions which should be taken into consideration when identifying possible scenarios and mechanisms to finance accompanying measures and reforms to implement an EPA. The following constitutes a preliminary attempt to set the framework for exploring possible scenarios for the establishment of such mechanisms and analyzing their characteristics.

* Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and groups of ACP countries: will they promote development?
Karel Van Hoestenberghe, Hein Roelfsema, UNU-CRIS Occasional Papers O-2006/27, November 2006
In this paper we explore the nature and effects of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and groups of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. We argue that the direct economic effects from reciprocal trade liberalization - both positive and negative – may be rather limited. EPAs will only marginally increase access of ACP countries to the EU market and empirical studies on the static effects of trade liberalization show a small negative effect on economic development for ACP countries. However, we argue that EPAs can trigger changes that do contribute to development: better regional institutions, reform of agricultural subsidies in the EU, an increased role of the private sector in economic development through foreign direct investment and outsourcing, and a new perspective in the field of migration. Hence, we conclude that the process should not stop at signing regional free trade agreements, but that it should be enlarged into new approaches of economic integration and development of groups of ACP countries.

*Brief on Economic Partnership Agreements
Jointly prepared by the Commission of the African Union and the Economic Commission for Africa

* Key issues in Pacific EU Trade Negotiations with the EU: Analysis of the Negotiating Draft submitted by the Pacific in June 2006
Barry Coates, Oxfam New Zealand , October 2006
This short summary of issues focuses on the most recent negotiating documents, particularly the draft “legal text” that was prepared by Pacific negotiators after their meeting in June 2006. It aims to provide a “non-technical” overview to inform Pacific civil society of progress in negotiations.

* Fishing for a Future: The Advantages and Drawbacks of a Comprehensive Fisheries Agreement between the Pacific and European Union
Nick Braxton, Oxfam New Zealand , October 2006
The tuna fishery of the Western and Central Pacific Ocean is arguably the region's greatest natural asset, with US$2 billion worth of tuna caught every year – a third of the world's total. Despite the fact that two thirds of these fish are caught within the exclusive economic zones of the Pacific Islands , only one tenth of their value remains there. This briefing paper by Oxfam New Zealand examines whether the conclusion of a comprehensive multilateral fisheries agreement, possibly as part of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) currently being negotiated with the European Union, could help remedy this imbalance, enabling Pacific nations to benefit more from their resource.

* The impact of the EPAs of the Cotonou Agreement on trade, production and poverty alleviation in the Caribbean region
Michael Gasiorek, Julie Litchfield, Michanne Haynes-Prempeh, Jedrzej Chwiejczak, Gonzalo Varela, Final Report Submitted by the Poverty Research Unit, Sussex, University of Sussex, Project Officer: Michael Gasiorek, Dates: July 04 - December 05
The aim of this project is to consider the impact of the EPAs on trade, production and poverty alleviation with particular reference to small economies. The geographical focus of the study will be the Caribbean , and where possible on the countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) who largely comprises the least developed of the Caribbean economies. The project is designed to focus on three complementary features of the EPAs: the emphasis on regional integration, the need to ensure any trade concessions are reciprocal (which is required for WTO compatibility), and the potential costs associated with small economies' institutional capacity to negotiate such EPAs. It is with reference to these features that the impact on trade, production and poverty alleviation will be examined. This will be achieved through four key elements:...
(the different sections of this study can be downloaded for free at the following address after registration)

*The European Research Office (ERO) has published a number of briefing notes on EPAs. See here

---
Resources from Recent Events
---

* Event: The European Development Days
Date: November 13-17, 2006
Resources:
http://www.eudevdays.eu/
Euforic's page on the European Development Days

* Event: OECD Policy Dialogue on Aid for Trade, Doha
Date: November 6-7, 2006
Resources:
See OECD's page on the conference, with links to conference and background material

* Event: Réunion du Comité ministériel de suivi de l'Accord de Partenariat Economique entre l'Afrique de l'Ouest et la Communauté Européenne
Date: October 3-5, 2006
Resources:
-> Documents du Comité Ministériel de Suivi de Niamey disponibles sur le site du Hub Rural
-> Etudes d'impact de l'APE concernant l'ensemble de la région Afrique de l'Ouest

* Upcoming event : 5th ACP Summit of Heads of States and Government
Khartoum, Sudan
Date : December 7-9, 2006
Resources :
The 5th ACP Summit website
Press release - ACP Heads of State and Government will meet in Khartoum (Sudan) on 7 and 8 December for their 5th Summit

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

= = = = = = =
If you do not wish to receive this newsletter in the future, unsubscribe by sending an email with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line to acpeutrade@ecdpm.org
****************************************
Copyright: ECDPM 2006