Industrialisation and Industrial Policy in Africa: Is It a Policy Priority?.
The importance of industrialisation as an engine of economic growth and development cannot be overstated. Industrial production creates job opportunities at higher skill levels, facilitates denser links across the services and agricultural sectors, between rural and urban economies and between consumer, intermediate and capital goods industries. (more…)
Analysis of the Draft Interim Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (TSIA) of the EU-Central America FTA.
Currently, the EU and Central American countries are negotiating the Free Trade Agreement. The European Commission commissioned a Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (TSIA) which is estimated to be completed by August 2009. On 6 April 2009, the draft interim technical report was published (in English). (more…)
EPAs and Benchmarking Development.
The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) being negotiated between the EU and Africa pose a major challenge for African countries since they are essentially free trade agreements. As such, the issue of development benchmarks has often been discussed. (more…)
Article XXIV and RTAs: How Much Wiggle Room for Developing Countries?.
The issue of ‘WTO Compatibility’ of regional trade agreements (RTAs) has been intensely debated ever since the days of the GATT. RTAs are governed by Article XXIV in the GATT. The Article however does not have a development dimension. (more…)
Government Procurement in Economic Partnership Agreements and FTAs.
The ability of governments to procure from firms of its own choice can be an important development tool and can also be an instrument for macroeconomic management. (more…)
Fact Sheet 12: EPAs and Development Assistance: Rebalancing Rights and Obligations.
The purpose of this analytical note is to highlight the inherent imbalances interim EPA texts contain with regard to development assistance. Its analysis, furthermore, can provide guidance to regions and countries that need to (more…)
The EU- CARIFORUM EPA on Services Investments and E Commerce-Implications for other ACP Countries.
At the close of 2007, the EU completed a comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the Cariforum countries. The EPA with the Cariforum is comprehensive in the sense that it extends to trade in goods, services and all the new generation issues including government procurement, competition law, and others. (more…)
A Positive Agenda for African Agriculture in EPAs.
This Analytical note gives an overview of the provisions on agriculture of the interim EPA initialed at the end of 2007 between the EU et 35 ACP countries. A better understanding of the challenges that faces sub-Saharan agriculture in its expansion as well as the implentation of (more…)
Fact Sheet 8: Competition Policy in Economic Partnership Agreements (CARIFORUM text).
This Fact Sheet Nb.8 overviews provisions related to competition policy in the CARIFORUM EPA text, initialed by 15 Caribbean countries on 16 December 2007, and assesses its developmental impacts, including for regions which have not yet agreed to competition policy provisions in their EPAs with the EU. (more…)
Fact Sheet 7: Market Access for Trade in Goods in Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).
This Fact Sheet Nb.7 overviews market access provisions related to the liberalisation of merchandise trade under the Interim Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) that were initialed in the end of 2007 between the EU and 35 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP). (more…)
EPA Negotiations: State of Play and Strategic Considerations for the Way Forward.
This Analytical Note describes the process that led to the conclusion, in the last hours of 2007, of interim EPAs between the EU and 20 ACP countries as well as of a comprehensive EPA with the 15 CARIFORUM states. (more…)
EPA Negotiations in the Caribbean Region: Some Issues of Concern.
This Analytical Note explores some of the main challenges related to the EPA negotiations in the CARIFORUM ACP region, particularly with respect to Market Access and regional integration, Agriculture, Manufacturing, and trade in Services. (more…)
