Negotiating Services Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the European Union: Some Issues for Developing Countries to Consider.
This Analytical Note explores the options available to developing countries in negotiating agreements establishing Free Trade Areas (FTAs) involving a trade in services component with the European Union (EU). (more…)
Industrialisation and Industrial Policy in Africa: Is It a Policy Priority?.
The importance of industrialisation as an engine of economic growth and development cannot be overstated. Industrial production creates job opportunities at higher skill levels, facilitates denser links across the services and agricultural sectors, between rural and urban economies and between consumer, intermediate and capital goods industries. (more…)
EPAs and Benchmarking Development.
The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) being negotiated between the EU and Africa pose a major challenge for African countries since they are essentially free trade agreements. As such, the issue of development benchmarks has often been discussed. (more…)
Government Procurement in Economic Partnership Agreements and FTAs.
The ability of governments to procure from firms of its own choice can be an important development tool and can also be an instrument for macroeconomic management. (more…)
Fact Sheet 12: EPAs and Development Assistance: Rebalancing Rights and Obligations.
The purpose of this analytical note is to highlight the inherent imbalances interim EPA texts contain with regard to development assistance. Its analysis, furthermore, can provide guidance to regions and countries that need to (more…)
The EU- CARIFORUM EPA on Services Investments and E Commerce-Implications for other ACP Countries.
At the close of 2007, the EU completed a comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the Cariforum countries. The EPA with the Cariforum is comprehensive in the sense that it extends to trade in goods, services and all the new generation issues including government procurement, competition law, and others. (more…)
A Positive Agenda for African Agriculture in EPAs.
This Analytical note gives an overview of the provisions on agriculture of the interim EPA initialed at the end of 2007 between the EU et 35 ACP countries. A better understanding of the challenges that faces sub-Saharan agriculture in its expansion as well as the implentation of (more…)
Fact Sheet 8: Competition Policy in Economic Partnership Agreements (CARIFORUM text).
This Fact Sheet Nb.8 overviews provisions related to competition policy in the CARIFORUM EPA text, initialed by 15 Caribbean countries on 16 December 2007, and assesses its developmental impacts, including for regions which have not yet agreed to competition policy provisions in their EPAs with the EU. (more…)
Fact Sheet 7: Market Access for Trade in Goods in Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).
This Fact Sheet Nb.7 overviews market access provisions related to the liberalisation of merchandise trade under the Interim Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) that were initialed in the end of 2007 between the EU and 35 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP). (more…)
EPA Negotiations: State of Play and Strategic Considerations for the Way Forward.
This Analytical Note describes the process that led to the conclusion, in the last hours of 2007, of interim EPAs between the EU and 20 ACP countries as well as of a comprehensive EPA with the 15 CARIFORUM states. (more…)
The Changing Structure and Governance of Intellectual Property Enforcement.
Twelve years ago the TRIPS Agreement introduced global minimum standards of intellectual property protection and enforcement. To the extent that the substantive obligations under the Agreement have now been widely implemented in national legislation, developing countries are facing increased pressure to bolster intellectual property enforcement. (more…)
EPA Negotiations in the Caribbean Region: Some Issues of Concern.
This Analytical Note explores some of the main challenges related to the EPA negotiations in the CARIFORUM ACP region, particularly with respect to Market Access and regional integration, Agriculture, Manufacturing, and trade in Services. (more…)
