Presidency bids to limit trade protection in EU-ACP deals

The German presidency of the EU is proposing long delays in only "very exceptional cases for very sensitive products" for developing countries to open their markets as part of deals being negotiated with the EU.

EU development ministers will on 15 May discuss the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) that the Union is negotiating with poor countries.

The EU had been reassuring the African, Pacific and Caribbean (ACP) states that they would have decades to fully liberalise their markets, a move that poorer states fear would have an adverse impact on domestic industry and income from tariff barriers.

But the conclusions for the Development Council, put forward by the German presidency, suggest that only in certain cases could this damaging impact be off-set, according to non-governmental organisations. "It is very disappointing that there is the suggestion that ACPs might exclude only some products. Everything should be exceptional for the ACPs as the majority of them are also least developed countries," said Marc Maes of the Belgian non-governmental organisation 11.11.11.

The EU is negotiating the EPAs with six different ACP regions and so far the Commission has completed three joint reviews of the negotiations to date, with three pending. "It is strange to see that the Council can draft new conclusions without having these reports. This adds to the impression that the reports and the review don’t really matter," he said.

The original draft conclusions were unveiled on 16 April but have already been changed by member states concerned at the impact the EPAs might have on developing countries. Negotiations will continue over the coming weeks.

Some member states, while sympathetic to developing countries’ needs, do not think the Council conclusions should go too far in stating what the outcome of the negotiations should be. "Conclusions are a statement of broad political wishes and many don’t want to start negotiating through the conclusions…member states also don’t want to tie the Commission’s hands during the talks," said one diplomat.

Some member states, including Spain and France, are also concerned that a recent Commission proposal to allow ACP states duty-free, quota-free access to EU markets will hurt some of their agricultural produce.

The EPA talks have been going on since 2002 and are to be finalised at the end of the year. Following the development ministers’ meeting next month there will be a joint EU-ACP ministerial meeting (24-25 May) and a joint parliamentary assembly (23-28 June) which will also focus on the talks.

The German presidency of the EU is proposing long delays in only "very exceptional cases for very sensitive products" for developing countries to open their markets as part of deals being negotiated with the EU.