ACP-EU relations in a new era: The Cotonou Agreement

Introduction:

Since the late 1990s, the relations between the European Union and developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (the ACP) have been in a process of tremendous change. Accordingly, the legal framework for these relations, previously embodied in the Lomé Conventions and at present in the Cotonou Agreement, is undergoing significant modifications too.

This article reviews the main thrust of the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement as signed in Cotonou, Benin, on 23 June 2000. After having sketched the political climate within which the Cotonou Agreement came about, this article analyses the changes in the ACP-EC development cooperation regime as compared to previous versions. The implications of these changes for the future of ACP-EU relations and for the profile of European Community development cooperation will also be explored briefly.