Popularising EPAs: less work for government, more opportunities for development

Authors: C. Manyeruke Publisher: Trade and Development Studies Centre – Trust, Zimbabwe, 2008 There is continual criticism of the "reciprocal and non-discriminating" trade agreements to be offered by the European Union (EU) as being incompatible with WTO rules. In this paper, problems related to development and reciprocal trade are looked into. The paper is an attempt to identify issues where the grassroots can be involved and discuss how they can be involved. The paper deems that the grassroots must be engaged in the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The paper reviews the Cotonou agreement which was signed in 2000; highlighting its four main principles: partnership, participation, dialogue and mutual obligations, and differentiation and... [read full story]