Abstract :
New Economic Partnership Agreements were intended to replace the non-reciprocal
EU-African, Caribbean and Pacific trade relationship by 1 January 2008, in a bid to
further the development of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries under a WTOcompatible
framework. African countries and regions failed to conclude any EPAs by
that date due to scepticism about the deeper trade implications of EPAs. However,
in a move that has seen the disintegration of Africa’s EPA negotiating groups and
compromised regional integration across the continent, many African countries
broke ranks to initial bilateral goods-only Interim Agreements with the EU as a
first step towards concluding full EPAs. Exploring an alternative approach to concluding
EPAs, this article underscores the point that the Interim Agreements,
although seemingly preserving market access preferences for some African
countries, are already having devastating effects on regional integration, the very
basis of Africa’s development strategy.
