Economic Partnership Agreement Established

In this context, the EU benefited from a first WTO waiver in 1996, which expired in 2000. A request for an extension of this waiver was accepted in 2001, in parallel with the launch of the WTO Doha Round, after much debate until 31 December 2007, on condition that the discriminatory Cotonou trade regime in favour of ACP countries be replaced by WTO-compatible trade regimes, i.e. free trade agreements (EPAs). non-discriminatory and arbitrary preferential trade regime for developing countries (i.e. the Generalised System of Preferences – GSP) or non-preferential treatment (i.e. trade under the WTO`s most-favoured-nation clause – most-favoured-nation clause), this time wto-consistent. The Cotonou Agreement between acp and EU countries focused on the integration of ACP countries into the world economy and their compliance with WTO rules, but gradually through a series of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). Unlike a standard free trade agreement in which several countries agree to eliminate trade barriers, such as tariffs, EPAs take into account the different levels of development of ACP and EU countries when setting tariffs. They also provide for EU support for the development of economic infrastructure in the ACP States, while allowing for the phasing out of non-viable trade preferences. The creation of a reciprocal trade agreement poses the EU the problem of how to reconcile the special status of the ACP group with the EU`s WTO obligations. The proposed solution to this dilemma is an agreement that is reciprocal only to the extent necessary to meet WTO criteria. In reality, the ACP countries will have some room for manoeuvre and will be able to maintain limited protection for their main products. The extent to which trade should be liberalised under the new EPAs remains widely debated and it remains to be seen whether the WTO provisions governing regional trade agreements will be revised at the end of the Doha Round in favour of the EPA system.

In Africa, epAs support the implementation of the Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs, launched in September 2018. They are key instruments of the EU`s global strategy for Africa. The economic pillar of this strategy identifies trade – in addition to regional and continental economic integration – as an important element in promoting the sustainable development of African countries. The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) concluded by the European Union (EU) with regional blocs of African countries (and some African countries) aim to boost more than just trade between the EU and African countries. They aim to promote sustainable development and poverty alleviation, including by supporting regional integration processes in Africa, encouraging the gradual integration of African economies into global markets, and improving the capacity of African countries to take advantage of trade opportunities for economic growth. Given the internationalization of production processes, in which 70% of secular trade in co-products or services flies to wholesale goods or services, increased participation in regional and global value chains has become an essential part of the economic transformation and sustainable development strategies of African countries. . . .