A matter of political will: How the European Union can maintain market access for African, Caribbean and Pacific countries in the absence of Economic Partnership Agreements
TWN Africa/Oxfam Briefing Note
April 2007
A matter of political will: How the European Union can maintain market access for African,
Caribbean and Pacific countries in the absence of Economic Partnership Agreements
Emily Jones and Tetteh Hormeku
The European Commission has threatened 76 of the world’s poorest countries with
lower access to the EU market - if they fail to sign new trade deals known as Economic
Partnerhip Agreements (EPAs) by the end of 2007, when their current market access
preferences expire. But the threats are not justified: in the event that African,
Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) nations are not ready to sign by the end of the year, the
European Union could still continue to provide them with a high level of market
access, using the GSP-plus scheme, without breaching World Trade Organisation rules.
This level of market access would also be compatible with their developmental needs.
Download here (255kb PDF): http://www.oxfam.org.nz/imgs/pdf/a%20matter%20of%20political%20will.pdf
