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Pacific ACP leaders want EU to address "contentious issues" in EPA
12-May-2009 Solomon Times
In the Pacific region, only Papua New Guinea and Fiji initialled an Interim EPA mainly to protect their exports of fish and sugar, respectively, into the EU markets.
Don’t sign EPAs - COSATU urges Namibia
7-May-2009 Informante
THE Congress of South African Trade Unions has urged Namibia to follow South Africa and Angola’s footsteps in refusing to sign the much-debated Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union, alleging that the purported agreement has a ‘hidden’ agenda.
Nigeria: Country rejects EPA
7-May-2009 AllAfrica.com
Nigeria is not ready to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) aimed to liberalise trade between Africa, the European Union (EU), Carribean and Pacific countries, Minister of Commerce and Indsutry Chief Achike Udenwa said yesterday.
“Independence Means the Capacity to Stand on one’s Feet” Says Sidia Jatta
6-May-2009
At the two-day sensitization workshop organised by The Gambia Social Forum on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) for National Assembly Members, Media and the Civil Society Representatives held on the 22-23 April, 2009 at the Corinthian Atlantic Hotel, Hon. Sidia Jatta, the National Assembly Member for Wuli West, gave critical analysis of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) regarding its overwhelming disadvantages and urged The Gambia not to sign it.
COSATU calls for rejection of EU-SADC Partnership Agreement
4-May-2009 Times of Swaziland
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is celebrating the rejection of European Union-SADC Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (IEPA) negotiations by the governments of South Africa and Angola and is mobilising for a political intervention in the whole agreement negotiations.
EAC Regional: Private sector ambivalent on EPAs
28-Apr-2009 Ratio Magazine
Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi all qualify for free EU market access under the Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme, but chose to sign a joint EPA with Kenya to preserve the EAC customs union. As the conclusion of the EPA negotiations approaches and the global economic crisis continues, the debate over how an EPA will affect East Africa has produced few clear answers.
Report: Plummeting profits drive tomato farmers to suicide
20-Apr-2009 Modern Ghana
With cross-border price-undercutting, mounting debt and a lack of buyers, many tomato farmers in Ghana’s Upper East Region are turning to suicide. Yet with European Union Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) currently being negotiated, West African markets are about to be flooded with heavily subsidised EU products
‘Negotiations for a comprehensive EPA on track’
20-Apr-2009 East African
"The European Commission-East African Community interim economic partnership agreement on trade in goods, which we initialled in November 2007, should be signed shortly", says an EU representative
European Union pushes trade deal on Africa
20-Apr-2009 Final Call
The signing of a finalized economic partnership agreement (EPA) between the European Union and southern African countries seems imminent-despite regional trade fragmentation remaining a danger.
26 African states sign free trade area agreement
10-Apr-2009
Twenty six African countries seeking to merge their economies into a single trading bloc that controls a combined wealth of $ 624m and a market of 527m people moved to a definitive stage after their leaders approved plans to establish a free trade area early this week.
Bloc warned against signing EPA blindly
9-Apr-2009
East African Community (EAC) member states should not sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (Epa) three months to come unless shortcomings are addressed, local civil society organisations (CSOs) have warned.
EPA forum for businesses to take place in Kingston
9-Apr-2009
As the global marketplace becomes more anaemic, the Caribbean Council will next month host a forum aimed at improving private businesses’ understanding of how the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) will be implemented.
World Bank says preferential deals don’t help regional performance
4-Apr-2009
The World Bank says favourable treatment offered by Europe and North America has not helped the Caribbean’s overall trade performance.
In Sierra Leone, Civil Society Dialogue Forum on EPA Ends
3-Apr-2009
The Africa Youth Coalition Against Hunger - Sierra Leone (AYCAH-SL), Civil Society Movement (CSM) in collaboration with Action Aid International, on 30th March 2009 concluded a one-day Dialogue Forum on Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), at the British Council Auditorium in Freetown.
Pacific lessons from the Economic Partnership Agreement
1-Apr-2009
A trade deal between the world’s largest economic region, the European Union - and the world’s smallest - the Pacific - was never going to be easy.
West Africa: Don’t Conclude Regional EPA in June 2009 -Gapto
31-Mar-2009
Members of the Ghana Agricultural Producers and Traders Organisation (GAPTO) have called on the governments of the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) not to conclude the Regional Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with European Union (EU) in June, this year.
Charity warning on free trade plans
25-Mar-2009 Press Association
Millions of people in developing countries will lose their jobs under free trade plans which will be promoted by the Gordon Brown at next week’s G20 summit, a leading charity has warned.
EU Commission Manufactured African Business Support for EPAs
23-Mar-2009 CEO
Internal email communication by DG Trade obtained by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) unveils how the EU Commission has actively orchestrated African business support for its Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. MEPs will vote on the EPA negotiations at their sitting in Strasbourg today and tomorrow.
SA may be excluded from EU partner deal
17-Mar-2009 Business Day
The European Union is likely to move towards the official signing of an interim economic partnership agreement, known as an EPA, with countries of the Southern African Development Community that will exclude South Africa.
Regional EPA due in June
6-Mar-2009 Modern Ghana
A regional Economic Partnership Agreement encompassing the West African region is expected to be signed later this year as negotiations are far advanced for a draft agreement in June 2009, and subsequently a full pact by the end of the year, the outgoing Head of the EU Delegation to Ghana has hinted.