What are Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)?
Economic Partnership Agreements are being negotiated between the European Union and 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries within the framework of the Cotonou agreement The EPAs are being negotiated between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries within the framework of the Cotonou Agreement. The 77 countries that make up the ACP – developing countries, least-developed countries (LDCs), landlocked countries and small island developing states – face special challenges related to development. Thirty-eight ACP countries fall under the United Nations classification of LDC. Five LDCs are located in the Pacific region, one (Haiti) is in the Caribbean region and the remaining 32 are located in Africa. Most ACP countries are relatively weak in terms of their trading positions with the EU and the rest of the world. There is a high level of dependence on single commodities (often where international prices are falling) and low levels of regional in
