The negotiations leading to the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) were launched in Brussels on 27 September 2002 to be conducted in two phases. The first phase is conducted at “All-ACP”-EU level and takes on board cross-cutting themes of interest to all parties concerned, mainly: legal matters, the development “dimension” of the EPAs, Agriculture and Fisheries agreements, services, market access and trade-related matters. The Second phase is conducted at ACP national and regional level with spotlight on specific commitments.
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PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES
The fundamental principles and objectives of the EPAs are defined by the Cotonou Agreement.
Objectives
sustainable development of the ACP States, their smooth and gradual integration in the world market, and eradication of poverty.
enhancing sustainable growth, increasing production and supply capacities of the ACP countries, promoting structural processing and economic diversification of the ACP states while supporting regional integration.
Principles
The EPAS should be underpinned by the following fundamental principles :
The EPAs should serve as instruments of development that contribute to the promotion of gradual and smooth integration of the ACP states in world economy while respecting their political options and development priorities, promoting thereby their sustainable development and contributing to the eradication of poverty in the ACP states and not an end in themselves.
In this context, the European and ACP parties agreed that the EPAs contribute directly to the development of the ACP states while helping them to expand their markets and improving the predictability and transparency of the legal framework governing trade, creating thereby suitable conditions for investment growth and the mobilization of private sector initiatives in order to improve the supply capacity of the ACP States. To this end, the EPAs should take account of the economic, social, environmental and structural constraints specific to each ACP state and region concerned, as well as their capacity to adapt their economies to the EPA process. The EPAs should also take on board the development guidelines of the countries and regions concerned. Besides, they should be economically and socially sustainable.
The EPAs should support the existing regional integration initiatives in the ACP states and not compromise them. They should therefore be based on the integration objectives of the ACP regions concerned. They should also contribute to the reinforcement of regional integration while promoting, among other things, the harmonization of the regulations at regional level. In this perspective, the EPAs should first of all help to consolidate the ACP markets before promoting commercial integration with the EC.
The two sides agreed that the EPAs maintain and improve upon the current level of preferential access of ACP exports to the European market. As regards the commodity protocols, the two sides agreed to re-examine them in the context of the new trade agreements especially from the viewpoint of their compatibility with the WTO rules, in order to safeguard the advantages accruing thereto in the light of the special legal status of the sugar protocol. As regards the non-LDC ACP states which will not be in a position to conclude EPAs, both sides have agreed that the EC assess the situation of such countries and explore all the possible avenues in order to provide them with a new framework equal to their existing situation and compatible with the WTO rules.
An agreement has been reached on the fact that the EPAs should be compatible with the WTO rules in force at the time of their conclusion and that they should take into account the evolutionary nature of the relevant rules especially in the framework of the Doha Programme for Development. The two sides have agreed to cooperate closely in the framework of the WTO negotiations with a view to defending the agreements concluded especially as regards the degree of flexibility obtained for that moment.
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The two sides agreed that a special and differential treatment be accorded all-ACP States, especially the vulnerable LDCs and the small landlocked and island countries.
