LDC Package: State of Play and Proposed Language for WTO’s MC8.
The LDC Package was proposed by the WTO Director General, in his capacity as Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) Chair in May 2011 for early harvesting at the Eighth Ministerial Conference (MC8) in December 2011. Since then, these negotiations have run into problems due to the resistance of the United States. (more…)
Special and Differential Treatment Negotiations: State of Play and Proposed Language for WTO’s MC8.
There has been some but not a significant amount of progress made on the Special and Differential Treatment negotiations mandated in the Doha Declaration (para 44) for developing countries. This paper provides an overview of: (more…)
Present Situation of the WTO Doha Talks and Comments on the 21 April 2011 Documents.
Although Doha started as a “Development Agenda” with a pledge that developing countries‟ interests would be at the centre, ironically there is hardly any development content left in the Doha elements. The WTO released on 21 April 2011, a 600-page package providing an overview of the last 10 years of Doha negotiations. The following papers provide analysis of this overall package. (more…)
EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): Tools Protecting European Farmers.
The European Union (EU) uses a plethora of policy instruments to protect its agricultural sector and to ensure that European farmers, despite having higher production costs, are still able to continue production for both the European and export markets.
EU’s Increasing Use Of Decoupled Domestic Supports In Agriculture: Implications For Developing Countries.
The EU has been undertaking reform in its Common Agricultural Policy. Nevertheless, subsidies to EU agricultural producers are continuing. The major change is that 93% of these supports are now provided in the form of direct aid payments to producers. (more…)
Sub-Saharan Africa’s Exports Trends and the EPAs.
Trade trends are changing quite rapidly for Africa. A careful analysis of Africa’s export statistics reveals startling facts regarding the markets that are most important for Africa today, and in the years to come. (more…)
EPAs and WTO Compatibility – A Development Perspective.
The discussion on WTO compatibility in the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and ACP countries has so far been very narrowly defined, and largely from the perspective of the European Union. (more…)
Legal Analysis of Services and Investment in the Cariforum-EC EPA: Lessons for other Developing Countries.
This Research Paper is a legal analysis of the EC-Cariforum Services and Investment Chapter. It demystifies the many complex technical details in the EPA text and illustrates where this services and investment template goes beyond the WTO’s GATS. The paper highlights implications for other developing countries embarking on similar negotiations with the EU. (more…)
EPA Contentious Issues Matrix: Key Problems and Some Recommendations.
The document contains a matrix of 21 contentious issues pertaining to the goods negotiations in the EPAs. For each issue, the ‘best’ language (i.e. least damaging language) from the various EPA texts is identified. The problems posed by these contentious issues are then highlighted, and some recommendations provided. (more…)
The Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on Industrial Development of Least Developed Countries.
The South Centre has released a Research Paper which examines the impact of the external shocks from the global economic crisis on industrial development of Least Developed Countries (LDCs). These countries are heavily exposed to external shocks because of their extensive trade with the rest of the world. Yet, they are marginalized in terms of their share in international trade and output. (more…)
Contentious Issues in the Goods EPAs: What is the Value of the 2009 Renegotiations?.
A large part of the discomfort of many ACP countries vis-à-vis the EPAs have to do with what are now known as ‘contentious issues’ or ‘unresolved issues’. Negotiations on these issues took place between the EU and some African sub-regions in 2009, with agreements on some of these issues emerging for SADC and ESA countries. (more…)
EPAs: The Wrong Development Model for Africa And Options for the Future.
The EPAs provide the wrong development model for Africa, and will jeopardize African countries’ development and regional integration prospects, rather than support them. Until now, only 10 out of 47 African countries have signed the EPA – most are dragging out the negotiations because they are reluctant or are resisting signing, due to their anti-developmental content. (more…)
