Disclaimer:
The response provided below is accurate as of the day of creation. For updated information on this subject, please visit the Department for International Development website
Economic Partnership Agreements - campaign
28 November 2007
The Prime Minister received a campaign asking the government to take immediate action on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) being negotiated between Europe and Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
Read the response
The Government believes that Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) can be good for development and help countries trade their way out of poverty. For example we want EPAs to increase access to European Union (EU) markets, make it easier to export goods (through simpler rules of origin), increase trading opportunities and collaboration within the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) regions themselves, and promote integration into the global economy.
The EU negotiating position is increasingly in line with ours, as set out back in 2005. The EU have put a Duty Free Quota Free market access offer on the table (with transitional periods for just two products) that will enable the ACP countries to more easily sell their goods in Europe. The ACP countries will also have long periods, of up to 25 years, in which to open their markets with a certain amount of products not needing to be liberalised at all.
Although time is short, we believe that it is possible by the end of the year to agree framework EPAs, focussing on trade in goods which deliver duty and quota free access for the ACP on 1 January 2008. We recognise that this means leaving other issues, such as investment, aside until later: however, the UK has always been clear that these issues should only be included in the negotiations if the ACP wished them to be.
We are concerned of course about what happens in those regions which do not meet the deadline. This Government has recently written to other EU Trade Ministers to press the EC to ensure that ACP countries are no worse off after the end of 2007 once the Cotonou Agreement lapses.
Parliamentary involvement and debate will be key to ensuring that these agreements are properly scrutinised and consistent with UK policy. All the EPA texts will require scrutiny from the UK Parliament. There will soon be a debate in Parliament to scrutinise the Commission's recent communication and draft regulation on EPAs.
The UK Government will continue to work to make sure that trade brings benefits to the poor and serves as a real tool for growth and poverty reduction.
