The Cotonou Agreement and its Implications for the Regional Trade Agenda in Eastern and Southern Africa

de la Rocha, Manuel

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: AGREEMENT ON TRADE;    BARGAINING POWER;    BILATERAL AGREEMENTS;    BILATERAL TRADE;    BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENTS;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-3090
RP-ID  :  WPS3090

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Subregional trade arrangements (RTAs) inEastern and Southern Africa have proliferated in the past 10to 15 years. The small size of most of the countries in theregion, some of which are landlocked, and the security needsin the post independence period largely explain the rapidexpansion. These arrangements are characterized by multipleand overlapping memberships, complex structures, andeventually, conflicting and confusing commitments. Theinfluence of RTAs has been limited to assisting the regionin increasing trade, attracting foreign direct investment,enhancing growth, and achieving convergence among membercountries. But despite their limitations, RTAs have thepotential, if properly designed and effectively implemented,to be an important instrument in integrating membercountries into global markets. In 1998 most of the SouthernAfrican countries, as members of the Africa CaribbeanPacific group (ACP), signed the Cotonou Agreement with theEuropean Union, which includes the negotiation of economicpartnership agreements (EPAs) between the EU and the ACP.The Cotonou Agreement explicitly leaves to the ACP countriesto decide the level and procedures of the EPA tradenegotiations, taking into account the regional integrationprocess. This raises the question of how to decide on thegroupings in the context of conflicting regional tradeagendas. The author argues that the Cotonou Agreement andEPA negotiations could become the external driving forcethat will push the regional organizations to rationalize andharmonize their regional trade arrangements, thusstrengthening the integration process and economies of theregion, and assisting the Eastern and Southern Africa regionin becoming a more active partner in the global economy.