Will the EU-Africa Economic Partnership Agreements Foster the Integration of African Countries into the Global Trading System?

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aniekan Iboro Ukpe
Keyword(s):  
African Countries ◽  
Trading System ◽  
Economic Partnership ◽  
The Eu

Doing It Different

2014 ◽  
pp. 56-72
Author(s):  
Owais Hassan Shaikh ◽  
Yifat Nahmias
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Direct Consequence ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Least Developed Countries ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Interregional Trade ◽  
Economic Partnership ◽  
The Eu

This chapter highlights the current developments in the area of intellectual property having direct consequence for the prospects of Africa's knowledge society. Even though African countries, especially the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), have not yet faced pressure from the EU, US, and EFTA for higher intellectual property standards, the situation may change soon with the imminent deadline for conclusion of Economic Partnership Agreements in 2014, the lapse of Africa Growth and Opportunities Act in 2015, and the expiry of the Cotonou Agreement in 2020. African countries will be well advised to decouple trade and intellectual property issues by promoting interregional trade or trade with other developing countries that do not demand TRIPS-Plus protection. They must also negotiate intellectual property within the ambit of the WTO.

scholarly journals Reflecting on Namibia’s Position in the European Union (EU)-Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) Negotiations and the Lessons for Africa

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Charity Manyeruke ◽  
Lawrence Mhandara
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
Import Duty ◽  
The European Union ◽  
African Countries ◽  
African Caribbean ◽  
Economic Partnership ◽  
Southern Africa Development Community ◽  
The Eu

Negotiations for Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between European Union (EU) and the African Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP) have been on the spotlight since 2002. The negotiations seek to replace the Lome Conventions which provided for a one way non-reciprocal trading regime between the EU and the ACP countries. The paper examines the position of Namibia in relation to EPAs and the lessons that Africa can derive from Namibia’s stance. Namibia which is negotiating under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has declined to sign the Interim Partnership Agreements, besides initialing them in 2007, arguing that EPAs are not consistent with the objective of advancing African economies into competitive outfits in the global economy. Some of the sticking issues that need to be addressed concern EU’s demand for trade liberalization and a near elimination of import duty on all EU products to ACP zone. The paper argues that the major lessons for Africa are that EPA negotiations are much a political activity in as much as they involve the advancement of collective national interest by the EU. The paper therefore implores African countries to safeguard both political and economic interest in the process in the same manner as their EU counterparts are doing. Again, the paper exhorts Africa to negotiate from a position of strength and refuse to give in to unfair trade terms given the evident competition that is looming between the West and the East to partner Africa in development matters.

Doing It Different

2016 ◽  
pp. 418-434
Author(s):  
Owais Hassan Shaikh ◽  
Yifat Nahmias
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Direct Consequence ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Least Developed Countries ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Interregional Trade ◽  
Economic Partnership ◽  
The Eu

This chapter highlights the current developments in the area of intellectual property having direct consequence for the prospects of Africa's knowledge society. Even though African countries, especially the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), have not yet faced pressure from the EU, US, and EFTA for higher intellectual property standards, the situation may change soon with the imminent deadline for conclusion of Economic Partnership Agreements in 2014, the lapse of Africa Growth and Opportunities Act in 2015, and the expiry of the Cotonou Agreement in 2020. African countries will be well advised to decouple trade and intellectual property issues by promoting interregional trade or trade with other developing countries that do not demand TRIPS-Plus protection. They must also negotiate intellectual property within the ambit of the WTO.

Will EPAs Foster the Integration of Africa Into World Trade?

2010 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aniekan Iboro Ukpe
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
World Trade ◽  
Market Access ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
African Caribbean ◽  
Trade Relationship ◽  
Economic Partnership ◽  
The Eu

AbstractNew Economic Partnership Agreements were intended to replace the non-reciprocal EU-African, Caribbean and Pacific trade relationship by 1 January 2008, in a bid to further the development of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries under a WTO-compatible framework. African countries and regions failed to conclude any EPAs by that date due to scepticism about the deeper trade implications of EPAs. However, in a move that has seen the disintegration of Africa's EPA negotiating groups and compromised regional integration across the continent, many African countries broke ranks to initial bilateral goods-only Interim Agreements with the EU as a first step towards concluding full EPAs. Exploring an alternative approach to concluding EPAs, this article underscores the point that the Interim Agreements, although seemingly preserving market access preferences for some African countries, are already having devastating effects on regional integration, the very basis of Africa's development strategy.

scholarly journals Overcoming the Development Deficit of Article XXIV: Promoting Equality through North-South RTAs

2015 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clair Gammage
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Trading System ◽  
Textual Interpretation ◽  
Multilateral Trading System ◽  
Economic Partnership ◽  
Gatt 1994 ◽  
Multidimensional Process ◽  
The Eu

AbstractRegionalism has been conceptualised as a development strategy for integrating developing countries into the global economy, and there has been an increase in the number of North-South regional trade agreements (RTAs) being negotiated among WTO Members. Notified under Article XXIV GATT 1994, members of North-South RTAs must liberalize substantially all trade on a reciprocal basis, within a reasonable period of time, irrespective of their development status. Challenging the assumptions on which North-South regionalism rests, this article submits that Article XXIV has created a regulatory framework that sustains a monocultural conception of development which is synonymous with economic growth. Rejecting the economic model, this article argues that development should be understood as a multidimensional process, with an emphasis on equality of opportunities for all countries. Through a deconstruction of the textual interpretation of Article XXIV, and by analysing the practical application of this provision in the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreements, the gradual erosion of development from the process of trade liberalisation will be revealed. This article argues that the “rationalizing spell” of legal formalism must be broken in order to reimagine the legal framework, so that a concept of development, grounded in equality, is facilitated by the multilateral trading system.

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