Stalled EPA negotiations have been a cause for concern for the European Commission and were put on the agenda of an informal development ministers meeting and the joint ACP-EU ministerial trade committee.
Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht were in attendance to try to restore momentum of the negotiation process. However ACP ministers will not be coerced into signing trade agreements and attempts to set new negotiation deadlines by the end of this year appear unlikely to succeed.
The pressing issues around EPAs are:
No deadlines
EPAs were meant to be signed nearly three years ago; ACP countries were not happy then and they are not happy now. The EU is considering imposing a new deadline to get the process moving. ACP countries should not be forced to sign agreements they have continually expressed dissatisfaction with.
Need for alternatives
Until ACP countries are offered a genuine choice – including an alternative – EPA negotiations will continue to be forced. ACP countries should be offered the ‘Everything but Arms’ duty free-quota free trade regime.
‘Contentious issues’
The EU should stop pushing for the inclusion in EPAs of contentious issues regarding investment liberalisation, services and intellectual property. As Rob Davies, South Africa’s trade minister has said ‘if there are further obligations at this point it’s going to be very difficult to conclude the process’.
Protecting regional integration initiatives
EPAs risk undermining regional integration within the African Economic Community, an objective that is important to African countries and which the EU supports.
Goods only
Countries that have only initialed deals should not be forced to sign. They should be able to pull out – or keep the agreements limited to good only – if they feel these are in the country and region’s best development interest.
Jayde Bradley, Traidcraft Campaigns Officer (November 2010)
