P. Goodison (from GDC Partners)

2009
Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
ISBN: 978-91-7106-655-8

Abstract: For a long time it has been necessary to move beyong sterile debates for or against Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). The real issue is: What kind of EPAs will support African governments in their efforts to promote the structural transformation of their economies, so that they can move beyond the production of simple and unprocessed products to the production of a range of higher value products, for national, regional and international markets, and in the process help them tackle poverty and employment issues. This paper seeks to situate the ongoing EPA negotiations and debate around contentious issues in the context of the wider European Union (EU) trade policy and African aspirations for sustainable development and poverty reduction.

Keyword(s): Africa ; Debate ; Economic Partnership Agreement ; EPA ; EU ; European Union ; Issues ; Partnership ; Trade ; Trade Relations