The Lomé Convention under threat (original) (raw)

DIVISIONS IN EUROPE OVER RELATIONS WITH THE SOUTH

The Lomé Convention, which has been renewed and revised three times since 1975, has historically symbolised Europe’s ambitions to establish new relations with the South. No more were these to be dominated by economic interests and power politics. Despite the modesty of its achievements, it is one of the last remaining means for protecting the world’s poor countries from the full force of globalisation. But not for long. Europe is preparing to negotiate the fifth Convention, and international finance and trade organisations are insisting that it be brought into line with the rules of the new world economic order.

The Lomé Convention is the most complete and ambitious attempt at engineering a progressive agreement between North and South. As well as providing economic development finance, the European Union agreed to give the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) privileged access to its markets (1). Since the fourth Lomé Convention expires in February 2000, the Fifteen and the ACP will begin negotiations in October 1998 for a new cooperation agreement.

Any post-Lomé arrangement will have to take account of the new world economic order imposed by the 1993 GATT agreement on tariffs and trade, and the creation of the World Trade Organisation. This would imply an ending of the preferential trade policies which had hitherto been the basis of relations between Europe and the ACP. Furthermore, Africa has seen a lot of changes, and Europe itself is about to reach a turning point, with the introduction of the euro on 1 January 1999 and the start of negotiations to bring in the countries of Eastern Europe. As far as policy towards Africa is concerned, there is the same Franco-German split in Europe that existed forty years ago at the time when France was redefining its relations with its overseas territories.

France’s Africa policy tends to be mapped increasingly within a broader European context, so that there is clearly much at stake in the precise nature of the “post-Lomé” arrangements. The position was outlined by Michel Rocard, currently president of the European Parliament’s Overseas Development Committee: “In a period characterised by major regional blocs, Europe and Africa together would provide a considerable counter-presence to combat the over-monolithic power of the United States.” Other member states are not so keen on this notion and suspect Paris of seeking to (...)

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* Journalist (Brussels)

(1) The first Lomé Convention, signed in 1975, arose out of Europe’s wish to guarantee itself regular supplies of raw materials, and to maintain its privileged position in its overseas markets. It also derived in part from a sense of responsibility arising out of its colonial past. The Lomé Convention is the most ambitious cooperation programme between a group of countries - the fifteen countries of the European Union - and a group of developing countries - the 71 countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). It is based mainly on a system of tariff preferences which give those countries access to the European market and special funds which maintain price stability in agricultural products and mining products (Stabex and Sysmin respectively).

(2) See Charles Condamines, “Les illusions d’un codéveloppement sans moyens”, Le Monde diplomatique, April 1998.

(3) The European Union pushed for the creation of this multilateral organisation for liberalising world trade and ruling on contentious issues, in order to avoid situations in which differences over trade led to unilateral retaliation measures by the United States.

(4) Although European aid to the countries of the Third World more than trebled between 1990 and 1996, the portion reserved for Africa has experienced a steady decline. In 1985 it stood at 65% of the European Union’s provision of foreign aid; in 1990 it was 42%, and only 33.5% in 1995. See “Offensive contre la convention de Lomé”, Le Monde diplomatique, April 1995.

(5) See Philippe Leymarie, "Washington sets out to conquer virgin territory, English Internet edition, Le Monde diplomatique, March 1998.