This volume contains papers delivered at a workshop on "Trade negotiation issues in the Cotonou Agreement: Agriculture and Economic Partnership Agreements," co-organized by UNCTAD/UNDP, OAU/AEC and ACP Secretariats from 21-22 November 2000.
The publication has three parts:
Part I deals with agriculture issues such as the task facing ACP trade negotiators in assessing the opportunities and challenges in agriculture trade within the framework of the Cotonou Agreements; the potential implications of the ongoing WTO negotiations on agriculture on the scope for agricultural trade between the ACP States and the EU within the framework of the Cotonou Agreement; and the priorities for ACP States in agriculture trade liberalization and development within the framework of the Cotonou Agreement.
Part II dwells on "alternative trading arrangements," primarily the economic partnership agreements. Issues covered are the various options available to ACP States in formulating economic partnership agreements with the EU; the lessons for ACP-EU economic partnership agreements from the experiences of countries and groupings that have concluded or are negotiating trade and development agreements with the EU, including the viability and readiness of ACP sub-regional groupings to participate in economic partnership agreements with the EU; elaboration of some of the priorities for ACP States in areas for further discussion and analysis in the elaboration of their negotiating mandate on economic partnership agreements, and strategies and actions that ACP States can take within the framework of the Cotonou Agreement, to enhance their preparations for international trade negotiations and for building institutional, policy and production capacities for an active participation in international trade.
Part III provides the conclusions of the workshop by the Chairman as well as a survery of issues raised by African countries in preparation for the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference.
The material is aimed to assist the African, Caribbean and Pacific trade negotiators to start to consider and delineate the common key priority issues in respect of alternative trading arrangements with the EU, and in respect of agriculture liberalization. It is also aimed to assist these trade negotiators to identify areas where synergies could be achieved between the Cotonou Agreement and the WTO trade negotiations and, where possible better coordinate the sequencing of negotiating positions in both forums. Once identified, these priorities could be used as a synoptic tool to promote the trade and development interests of African, Caribbean and Pacific States in the negotiations under the Cotonou Agreement and under the WTO, and also achieve greater coherency betwen them.
