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Africa: New Lome Talks
Africa: New Lome Talks
Date distributed (ymd): 981013
Document reposted by APIC
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: Continent-Wide
Issue Areas: +political/rights+ +economy/development+ +security/peace+
Summary Contents:
This posting contains a statement from Eurostep (European Solidarity Towards
Equal Participation of People, a coalition of European non-governmental
organizations) on the recently launched negotiations for renewal of the
Lome Agreement between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and
Pacific group of developing countries. It also contains links to additional
information on the negotiations. The next posting contains excerpts from
the conference agenda of the European Network of Information and Action
on Southern Africa Vienna Conference on European-Southern African cooperation
in a globalising world.
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Eurostep
115 Rue Stevin, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium;
Tel.: (32)-2-2311659 / Fax: (32)-2-2303780;
E-mail: eurostep@agoranet.be;
Web: http://www.oneworld.org/eurostep
The EU-ACP Negotiations:
Goals and Challenges for 2000
Executive Summary
[Full statement available at
http://www.oneworld.org/eurostep/ver_gb.htm
(in English)
and http://www.oneworld.org/eurostep/ver_fr.htm
(in French)]
Introduction
A new era of European Union (EU) development co-operation is about to
be embarked upon. By February 2000 a new agreement will define future political,
trade and investment relations between Europe and African, Caribbean and
Pacific countries. It will also help to define the future economic opportunities
of many of the world's poorest people.
Eurostep believes there are a number of reasons to be optimistic about
the outcome of the negotiations while there are also serious risks for
people living in poverty. Concerted pressure from European and ACP civil
society will be needed throughout the negotiation to ensure an agreement
which is ambitious enough to tackle the enormous challenges to development,
and which contributes fully to enhancing the livelihoods of poor people
and reducing the risk of war.
In this paper, Eurostep sets out proposals for an agreement that would
become a powerful instrument for the eradication of poverty through sustainable
development and the balanced integration of ACP countries into the world
economy.
Purpose of the Agreement
- The principle purpose of the next agreement should be to promote the
eradication of poverty through sustainable development as set out in the
international commitments made at Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen, Beijing and
Cairo. The achievement of the DAC/OECD development targets should be an
instrument to focus effort and measure progress towards these international
commitments.
- Europe and the ACP states should commit to a joint strategy to change
those rules and policies of the World Trade Organisation and IMF which
act to exclude poor and vulnerable economies and block international collaboration
for achieving these objectives.
Partnership and Political Dialogue
- A political EU-ACP Inter-Governmental Assembly should be established.
This joint EU-ACP political structure will have decision-making powers
to set out the framework for the implementation and future negotiations
around the agreement. Meeting on a regular basis it should be accessible
to accredited observers.
- The Joint Parliamentary Assembly should be strengthened with greater
capacity to monitor and influence the conceptualisation and implementation
of the agreement.
- An information policy should be incorporated within the agreement that
requires the European Commission and individual governments to publish
proposals, assessments, evaluations and progress reports on all aspects
of the agreement.
People's participation in defining their future
- Nationally agreed procedures for governmental agreements should be
established which are accountable and transparent, and involve civil society
and private sector.
- A complaints mechanism should be established to enable individuals
and communities who are adversely affected by action under the agreement,
the opportunity to receive an independent hearing, and to seek redress.
A similar complaints mechanism should be established for parties suffering
from incoherence of EU policy.
- Strengthen decentralised co-operation by its fuller incorporation into
national and regional indicative programmes and establish round-tables
between government, civil society and private sector to discuss national
and regional priorities in all aspects of implementation.
Trade
There can be little rationale for coercing ACP states into WTO rules
which block developmental trade agreements with the EU.
- The EU and ACP member states should explore an alternative to free
trade agreements which would take the good elements of FTAs and marry them
with other development considerations. These would be 'trade and investment
development agreements' which would open the EU market to ACP products
while also planning phased and partial liberalisation of ACP economies
in sectors which would benefit from gradual exposure to international competition.
This form of agreement would also allow long term protection of sectors
such as agriculture where little, if any, justification exists for liberalisation.
These would have to be incorporated into the WTO rules for regional trade
agreements (Art. XXIV) as trade agreements between regions of highly different
levels of development or elsewhere.
- The EU must offer a genuine alternative which guarantees that the EU
will not increase its levels of protectionism towards ACP states. This
could consist of an improved GSP offer, equivalent to Lomé IV preferences
and bound at the WTO.
- The EU should simplify its rules of origin for products from all ACP
countries.
- The EU and ACP should act at the WTO to extend the current special
and differential treatment for least developed countries to vulnerable
single commodity dependent countries (mostly small island states).
- A ten year waiver should be sought from the WTO to allow adequate time
for adjustment by ACP countries.
Investment Agreements
Special provisions are necessary for countries with limited foreign
exchange reserves, large current account deficits and large gaps in technology
and knowledge. With the new agreement provisions and investment should
incorporate the best practice of developing countries at using investment
for economic growth and poverty reduction. This would include:
- EU-ACP co-operation at the WTO to ensure that developing countries
have the right to regulate inward investment to support domestic capacity
through profit re-investment, technology transfer and local content requirements,
skills training and balance of payments requirements.
- Technical assistance for competition policy and investment regulation
and monitoring in poor countries to ensure corporations are accountable
and comply with technical, social and environmental regulation, including
tax and labour standards. This will help prevent responsible investors
being undercut by less scrupulous investors.
- The EU-ACP should agree to investigate the potential for a code of
conduct for European and ACP companies' extra-territorial action covering
human rights, workers' rights, environmental protection, and corruption.
Trade and Investment Capacity
For pro-poor growth and enhanced competitiveness support is required
in the following areas:
- Assisting progressive tax reform to maintain state capacity in the
context of vanishing revenues from tariffs.
- Diversification to promote growth in value-added and labour-intensive
industry.
- Investing in Human Capital.
- Balanced labour market reform.
- Sustainable rural development including land reform and measures to
raise productivity in small-scale agriculture and strengthen linkages to
processing.
- Integrated support to small and medium-sized enterprises which generate
decent employment, particularly for women.
- Time-bound assistance to business associations to develop technical
competencies.
- Support for fair trade products.
- Economic infrastructure for efficient transport, communications and
energy.
Technology and Knowledge
In our informational age, access to technology is crucial to economic
advancement and inclusion of ACP states.
- The EU can assist directly in transferring technologies which enhance
employment creation, education and an efficient state administration, and
could offer technical assistance to ACP governments regarding the inclusion
of technology transfer and skills training in contracts with international
corporations: something the East Asian governments have been assiduous
in negotiating.
- The next agreement should include a skills transfers programme to compliment
efforts to get technology infrastructure established in ACP states, a programme
of support for education in information technology including skills training,
and tertiary education.
- The EU and ACP should co-operate at the WTO to call for a full review
of Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), and the impact of
its increased cost of technology through extended patent protection, particularly
to developing countries.
Social Development and Gender Mainstreaming
Programme quality and effectiveness must be improved in the next agreement
by the following EU measures:
- A commitment to increase investment in health and education linked
to the achievement of the international development targets. Specific allocations
should be given to key social sectors, such as basic health and primary
education, the recipient government should also be willing to contribute
resources to this end. This should be negotiated within a single and consistent
budgetary policy.
- Mainstream gender equity into political, economic and social aspects
of the next agreement and enhance training in gender.
- A substantial package of support for the empowerment of women through
improving literacy, access to primary education, basic health care and
reproductive health care, preferably through programme aid. o The EU and
the ACP need to increase their capacity in providing adequate expertise
in social areas and in gender mainstreaming. o Mechanisms must be developed
for EU policies to avoid major contradictions in programme aid policies
through enhanced co-ordination.
Peace Building and Conflict Prevention
The next EU-ACP agreement could make a substantial contribution to conflict
prevention and building stakes in peace by:
- Support for responsive and accountable government to avoid its collapse.
This is a sensitive area but could include assistance in constitutional
reform and minority rights where there is the active involvement of cross-communal
civil society.
- Promote the active participation of ACP civil society and private sector
in all aspects of regional and national programming. Of particular importance
for conflict prevention are organisations of civil society which establish
links across society, and promote representation, particularly of women,
or promote human rights.
- Promote more inclusive patterns of development which encourage growth
with equity, poverty reduction and conflict prevention. Alongside promoting
growth with equity, the EU could establish floors of acceptable business
practice for EU businesses operating in regions of conflict (usually in
minerals, oil and lumber).
- EU member states must now implement their code of conduct on arms control
agreed at the Heads of State Summit in June 1998, and take this approach
forward to international fora in collaboration with ACP states.
- Promote regional integration based on creating political dialogue and
economic integration at a pace which brings countries together through
common interest.
- Mainstream conflict impact assessment in the work of DGVIII and the
common service and enhance co-operation with ECHO.
Funding of the Agreement
- The EU should earmark a minimum percentage of its funds for Agenda
2000 to countries in the low human development category and those defined
as vulnerable countries through single export dependency, and small populations.
- The EU and ACP should agree a level of resources adequate to make a
significant and proportionate contribution to the achievement of international
commitments on development. These should not merely be recycled moneys
from previous EDFs.
- To speed up approval, authority must be delegated to field offices,
procedures must be simplified, and adequate staff levels achieved.
Selected Additional Sources
on European Union (EU) - African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries
negotiations
European Union
20 Questions and Answers concerning the Lome Convention http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/faq/en-00faq.htm
Panos Institute
EU Proposal Harms Some Developing Countries http://www.oneworld.org/panos/news/33sept98.htm
SADC Food Security Programme
Workshop on Expiry of Lome IV
http://www.zimbabwe.net/sadc-fanr/fstau/lome.htm
Women in Development Europe (WIDE)
The Lome Convention and Sustainable Human Development http://www.eurosur.org/wide/weng/lome5.htm
Forum on Europe's International Cooperation (EUFORIC) The Future of
Europe's Cooperation with the South http://www.oneworld.org/euforic/framed/futur_gb.htm
EUFORIC
List of the 48 African Countries in the ACP Countries http://www.oneworld.org/euforic/afr_gb.htm
European Centre for Development Policy Management Preparing a new Lome
Convention
http://www.oneworld.org/ecdpm/pubs/schulte.htm
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the Africa
Policy Information Center (APIC). APIC's primary objective is to widen
the policy debate in the United States around African issues and the U.S.
role in Africa, by concentrating on providing accessible policy-relevant
information and analysis usable by a wide range of groups and individuals.
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