Experts assess the Economic Partnership Agreements negotiations process

A two-day review meeting held in Nairobi by the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union (AU) and the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Secretariat concluded that despite steady efforts across the continent to complete the Economic Partnership Agreements negotiations process by December 2007, progress is slow.

According to the participants, bottlenecks hampering progress in EPAs negotiations include the lack of agreement on rules of origin, the vulnerability of African economies to reciprocity with European Union countries and the lack of common understanding of the trade-related development framework. The fact that negotiations focus on market access, thus ignoring Africa's regional integration processes was also identified as a key obstacle.

The meeting called upon the European Union and Africa's sub - regions to renew commitment and political will to resolve outstanding issues, as a prerequisite for the timely completion of the negotiation process. Participants also urged for more transparency from the European Union and requested that information be provided speedily to facilitate the process.

The negotiations are expected to be completed by 31 December 2007.