The Cotonou Agreement

Inhaltsangabe:Abstract:This masters thesis discusses the recently concluded treaty between the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries on the one hand and the European Union (EU) on the other. This Agreement having signed in Cotonou, Benin, is known as the Cotonou Agreement. The Cotonou Agreement is the latest in a series of conventions between the two parties that have their genesis in the late 1950s.The primary goal of this work was to find out to what extent, if at all, the newly signed Agreement is likely to contribute to the economic renaissance of the ACP countries. In so doing it traces development of the ACP-EU conventions right from their very beginning. The performance of the relationship to date is examined with a view to determining whether the lessons learnt therefrom have been incorporated in the new Agreement. There is a detailed analysis of the trade and aid provisions of the Cotonou Agreement. Apart from the economic provisions, other major provisions and developments of the ACP-EU Conventions are discussed with a view to providing a wholesome picture.Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents:AbbreviationsivTable oftreatiesviTable ofcasesviii1.Introduction12.Historical antecedents of the Cotonou Agreement32.1The early associational arrangements32.1.1Overseas Countries and Territories32.1.2Yaounde I62.1.3Yaounde II72.1.4The Lagos and Arusha Conventions82.2The Lome Conventions92.2.1Lome I92.2.2Lome II122.2.3Lome III132.2.4Lome IV142.2.5RevisedLome IV162.3Evaluation of the economic impact of the Lome Conventions to date192.3.1Introduction202.3.2Extra Lome Convention constraints222.3.3Lome Convention constraints233.The GreenPaper274.The Cotonou Agreement294.1Introduction294.2The novel commercial framework324.2.1Trade Preferences324.2.1.1Non-reciprocal trade preferences334.2.1.2Conformity with WTO rules374.2.2New trade agreements434.2.3Regional integration464.2.4Rules of origin504.2.5The commodity protocols524.2.6Trade in services and trade related areas534.3Financial co-operation554.3.1Development finance co-operation554.3.2STABEX / SYSMIN574.3.3ACP countries?debt594.3.4Private sector support605.Conclusion62Bibliography66