Get involved > Campaign > Stop EPAs > Why did some countries inital or sign an EPA?
Why did some countries inital or sign an EPA?
Ultimately, many ACP countries were left with no choice.
The whole process for negotiating EPAs could not be further from the spirit of 'partnership'. ACP countries voiced their concerns many times throughout the negotiation process but the EU failed to respond.
Instead the European Commission (EC) threatened to raise taxes on their exports to Europe if countries did not meet the December 2007 deadline, leaving many ACP countries with little choice.
In Kenya, for example, hundreds of thousands of people depend on flower and vegetable exports to Europe for their livelihoods. New taxes on Kenya's flower exports would have made the industry uncompetitive and jobs would have been lost.
Namibia faced a similar situation with regard to its beef exports, and Ghana in relation to its cocoa and fruit.
However poor countries did manage to negotiate an "interim" agreement that excluded part of the agenda set out by the EU.
