ISDS Case Map
ACP
Asia, Caribbean, Pacific Group
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson is in St Lucia today to launch the third phase of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations between the European Union and the Caribbean region.
The free trade Economic Partnership Agreements
(EPAs) proposed by the European Union would have a
devastating effect on African, Caribbean and Pacific
(ACP) countries if they go ahead as planned.
Regional trade integration bodies must stand together and prevent outside forces like the European Union (EU) from promoting divisions to suit their varied agendas, especially when dealing with African member states, a Government minister has urged.
Continued delay by Pacific Island countries to negotiate a successful Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) could result in the region missing out in millions of European Union (EU) funds.
National Association of Nigerian Traders has joined forces in the moved to secure about 5 million stakeholder signatures against the endorsement of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between European countries and the Africa Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries.
African civil society organizations supported by a number of major European NGOs have moved into clear confrontation with the European Commission on the issue of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA). They say these deals will wreck domestic African agriculture and industry and are warning African politicians not to go along with them.
"The current EPA negotiations are a game of Russian roulette where the casualties will be the people of the Pacific Islands," said Professor Jane Kelsey at the release of A People's Guide to the Pacific's Economic Partnership Agreement in Suva today.
ActionAid's new report on EPAs
Peter Mandelson outlined plans yesterday for new trade deals between Brussels and 77 of the world's poorest countries but immediately ran into flak as development campaigners accused Europe's trade commissioner of liberalisation "by the back door".
Opening up The Gambia's and ACP markets to the EU is likely to result in transfers of tariff revenues from ACP countries to the EU and this will worsens their terms of trade and result in a welfare loss.
