Davina Makhan
There is a strong call for non-governmental stakeholder participation in the trade negotiations and this is specifically included in the Cotonou Agreement. With a few monthsto go before the cut-off date of 31 December 2007, have civil society stakeholders, professional bodies and parliamentarians really been involved in the negotiations?
Trade agreements for development?
Anna Lipchitz
While everyone agrees that the EPAs must contribute to the development of ACP countries, opinion is, however, divided as to how and why. Is trade a guarantee for development? Regional integration, improvement of supply capacities are also necessary… The major issues and different points of view for West Africa.
The EPAs and development. Interviews.
Belén Calvo Uyarra and Salifou Tiemtoré
The EPAs in West Africa: a panorama of alternatives
Sanoussi Bilal, Éric Hazard, Imma de Miguel
What will happen if the Economic Partnership Agreements are not signed? What are the possible alternatives? Alternative scenarios have been envisaged. They are first presented and then followed by the points of view of the authors who explain and justify their reservations with regard to the EPA negotiations in their current form.
Keeping promises and meeting the EPA challenges: more political will needed
Sanoussi Bilal, Éric Hazard, Imma de Miguel
The EPAs can only be meaningful if they are an extension of the development strategy of the countries and the region. By hurrying up, the negotiators are taking the risk of reaching agreements that do not reflect the realities and do not ensure adequate participation of the countries and stakeholders in such a way as to reflect their expectations.
