The Economic and Trade Cooperation team intends to concentrate on preparing, negotiating and implementing Economic Partnership Agreements and alternative trade arrangements, between the EU and the ACP subregions and countries. With the negotiations on EPAs due to be concluded by the end of 2007 (or a few months later), stakeholders will now be fleshing out the details, either of EPAs or of Alternative Trade arrangements, where appropriate. We will continue to facilitate this processes in the ACP countries, in particular in Africa, and in relation to the multilateral trading framework. .

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Related research & publications

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> Discussion Paper 92: Global Financial and Economic Crisis: Analysis of and Implications for ACP-EU Partnership Agreements (EPAs). By Sanoussi Bilal, Peter Draper (SAIIA) and Dirk Willem te Velde (ODI) > Discussion Paper 89: Contentious issues in the interim EPAs: Potential Flexibility in the negotiations. By Dan Lui and San Bilal, March 2009. > New study on The new EPAs: comparative analysis of their Content and the challenges for 2008. See PMR14. Monitoring Economic Partnership Agreements: A methodological overview While the new free trade arrangements offer new development opportunities, they also pose considerable challenges for the ACP. To ensure that the development dimension of the EPAs is fulfilled, close monitoring will be of prime importance, of both the negotiation and the implementation of these new partnership agreements. This InBrief presents a preliminary overview of some methodological issues linked to the design of a monitoring mechanism for the EPAs. To see full list of programme publications, click here. To learn more about Trade programme Practical Research, click here.

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acp-eu-trade.org website

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The acp-eu-trade.org website is a non-partican sourcing and knowledge sharing on acp-eu trade Website acp-eu-trade.org Regular updates on EPA Negotiations: 'Where do we stand? .

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EPA Monitoring

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Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) currently negotiated by the ACP and the EU should not be an end in themselves, but be first and foremost instruments for development, as provided for by the Cotonou Partnership Agreement. Read more...

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Facilitation of dialogue and consultation on ACP-EU-trade

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As non-partisan organisation, ECDPM pursues and aims to facilitate a systematic and continuous informal dialogue with ACP and EU stakeholders. ECDPM also participate to relevant workshops and meetings. Conferences and workshops (co)-organised by ECDPM on preparing and negotiating EPAs. Events attended by the Trade team.

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Strategic Partnerships [

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] Strategic partnerships with knowlegde institutions, particularly in Africa, to support and inform the EPA negotiations. Read more...