(LONDON) - Two European Union commissioners on Wednesday issued a defence of the controversial economic partnership agreements the EU is negotiating with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

Writing in The Guardian newspaper, Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and Development Commissioner Louis Michel insisted that the EPAs were designed to "give greater confidence and more opportunities to local businesses, attract new investment and build strong regional markets."

EPAs are reciprocal deals allowing the free flow of goods and services between Europe and ACP countries, many of which fear the opening of their markets could cripple their fragile economies.

The 78 ACP countries currently enjoy special access to the EU market, but the World Trade Organisation has ruled that the deal must end by January 1, 2008 to pave the way for free markets.

Mandelson and Michel wrote that unless WTO-compatible agreements were signed before that deadline, "we will have to fall back on our default preference scheme for all developing countries, which is less generous than our current scheme."

They said that while there were signs that an agreement was forthcoming by the end of the year in some ACP regions, others would need more time, without specifying which ones.

"So long as we can reach agreement on the question of trade in goods, we believe we will be on solid ground in the WTO," they wrote.

"This means their extended preferential access to the EU market will be safe. We will then complete discussions early in 2008."

They also said that EPAs "won't mean 'free trade' between the EU and ACP countries from January 1 next year, or any time soon."

"EU companies and investment are not trying to muscle in on markets. The problem is that EU businesses and investors have too little interest in these regions, not that they have too much."

The pair said that calling for an end to EPA negotiations "when there is no credible alternative is playing poker with the livelihoods of those we are trying to help."

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