Participants call on Commonwealth, ACP to support sensitisation of officials on new trading regimes

Trade experts from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) have called for greater information sharing among the member states to ensure that there is better understanding of the lessons learnt in negotiating new trade arrangements with the European Union, known as Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).

They spoke in a statement on 8 April 2008 in Cape Town ,South Africa, at the end of a meeting organised by Commonwealth and ACP Secretariats was to examine the full implications of the EPAs and the realistic options open to ACP countries as well as any changes that could be desired.

The meeting was chaired by South African Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, and also attended by trade ministers from Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania and Trinidad and Tobago, and the ACP Secretary-General.

The EPAs will replace the previous Cotonou trade arrangement between the EU and ACP countries that expired in December last year. Unlike the Cotonou trade regime, the EPAs require, among other things, ACP countries to provide reciprocal opening up of markets of ACP countries to the EU on an equal basis. For example, in the old arrangement, an ACP country exporting bananas to the EU market had preferential treatment, and was not required or conditioned to reciprocate by opening its market to EU goods.

While some ACP countries have signed on to the interim EPAs, others have expressed concerns, saying that the deal doesn't provide fully for the development objectives of the countries.

A statement issued at the end of the meeting stated that : " the deadline of 31 December 2007 was frantic for most ACP sates due to time pressure with the result that 35 out of 77 ACP states initialled interim and full EPAs."

The statement further stated that most other states were unable due to the presence of clauses they considered contentious.

"As a result, there now exists a multiplicity of different trading regimes between ACP and EU, a phenomenon which is detrimental to the regional integration processes of the regions concerned, and contrary to the Cotonou objective that EPAs should prioritise regional integration."

The experts also stressed the importance of forging common positions within and across the ACP.

Commonwealth Secretariat provides technical assistance to member countries through provision of experts, conducting studies and research to inform policy--with a view to ensuring that member states are fully informed of the options available to them. The outcome of the meeting will be circulated to the rest of the rest of the ACP group.