They must be watching the US economy
Regional Agreements May Increase Poverty
Stefania Bianchi
BRUSSELS, Mar 31 (IPS) - Regional trade negotiations between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries could undermine poverty reduction programmes, says a report released here.
The report by the Brussels-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Eurostep and five partners from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries says such negotiations cannot be considered ”synonymous with reciprocal free trade” because WTO rules are currently under negotiation and could be redefined.
Eurostep criticises ”the predominant focus” in the negotiations on removal of tariff barriers and a move towards reciprocity between the ACP and EU.
The study says that the negotiations will result in increased access for EU exports to the 77 ACP countries, but ”pay little attention to non-tariff barriers that are the principal obstacle for ACP imports into the EU.”
Eurostep fears that an influx of EU products will ”overwhelm” ACP economies.
”The promotion of trade liberalisation will lead to significant job losses in ACP countries, particularly in agricultural sectors where people, predominantly women, are already living on low incomes,” the report says.
The study released Wednesday (Mar. 31) looks at the potential implications for people in ACP countries of the proposed Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) for defining trade rules between the EU and ACP countries that would replace existing agreements.
The study draws on the experiences of people in Benin, Cameroon, the Dominican Republic, Ghana and Jamaica.
