18/12/2007
CIAA Statement on the negotiations to conclude European Partnership Agreements (EPAs)

CIAA has welcomed the initiative, started in late-2003, to engage in regional negotiations with the six regions of ‘West Africa, Central Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa, the Caribbean the Southern African Development Community’ and ‘Pacific’ and conclude European Partnership Agreements to enter into force from the beginning of 2008.

CIAA members are concerned about the consequence for some EPAs to miss the end 2007 deadline. CIAA noted the changing objective and the acceptance of concluding agreements covering issues in part. The advantage is obviously that these interim agreements will prevent trade disruption as of January 2008 for an important number of ACP countries. For the remaining, CIAA supports all parties’ efforts to speed up the process for reaching agreements rapidly. Otherwise, ACP countries will be subject to GSP conditions, because the WTO waiver applied to the Cotonou agreement has elapsed. For these ACP countries, absence of EPAs means that their products will face higher tariffs upon import into the EU and for EU industry it will lead to pay a higher price for raw materials.

The downside of this rushed process will be, however, important differences in scope and treatment that will arise not only between the different groups of countries, but also within the groups. The existence of individual country market access offers and of joint offers within one country group will undoubtedly increase complexity and difficulty for the consolidation and finalisation of the EPAs by the end of 2008. Rules of origin will be one other issue to carefully consider.

CIAA agrees that the gradual managed transition for trade liberalisation should allow ACP countries to participate in the global trading system and should also foster economic development. The partnership agreements foresee not only market openings but also the implementation of policies that foster regional integration and development and strengthen supply side capacities.

CIAA welcomes the specific focus of facilitating trade. Trade facilitation and other measures that limit and reduce existing non-tariff barriers are important to foster trade and development.

For CIAA, technical assistance and capacity building is and will be a very important tool to overcome severe difficulties, notably for the underdeveloped economic and social infrastructure, which in many ACP countries effectively hinders trade and investment.

Download the full position in English