Negotiating Economic Partnership Agreement between EU and ECOWAS : Implications for West African Integration (original) (raw)
Related papers
2017
The European Commission has been negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with Regional Economic Communities of African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States since 2002. The outcomes have been mixed. The negotiations with the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) concluded rather more quickly than was initially envisaged, whereas negotiations with West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) and the remaining ACP regions have been dragging on for several years. This research consequently addresses the key question of what accounts for the variations in the EPA negotiation outcomes, making use of a comparative research approach. It evaluates the explanatory power of three research variables in accounting for the variation in the EPA negotiations outcomes – namely, Best Alternative to the Negotiated Agreement (BATNA); negotiation strategies; and the issues linkage approach – which are deduced from negotiation theory. Principally, the study finds that, the outcomes of the EPA negotiations...
A Case-Study of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 1999
A regional integration by its very nature integrates its members into an economic union and acts as a bloc on matters affecting its members visa -vis other regional blocs and non members. Its hegemonic nature of hedging its members against all forms of exploitation and intimidation by other regional blocs and non-members and its desire to stem the tide of trade diversion, and to create and foster intra-union flow of trade, factors and investment at the exclusion of non-members and other regional blocs run contradictory to the aims and objectives of the globalization process which is the integration of the world economy through the breaking down of trade and investment barriers worldwide. Given these contradictory objectives of the regional blocs and the globalization process, this study examines the roles of the ECOWAS as an agent in the globalization process in the West African sub-region, its constraints, and solutions to the problems.
International Journal of Comparative Studies in International Relation and Development, 2022
This study presents a political economy analysis of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), focusing in particular on what drives and hampers this regional organisation in preventing and resolving conflicts in West Africa, and in promoting a regional approach to agriculture and food security. The report is part of a broader study that includes the African Union and four other Regional Economic Communities in Africa. Why a political economy study of ECOWAS? The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established in 1975 with the formal aim of promoting economic cooperation between 15 countries with different historic trajectories (colonisation, language, and administrative cultures) yet sharing similar socioeconomic conditions. During the 1980s the regional body was confronted with a large number of political crises, ranging from civil war to various military or constitutional coups d'état. This forced ECOWAS to fully embrace the security agenda as a 'core business'. The region is widely recognised as a trailblazer, including for the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). Several crises have been effectively addressed through regional diplomacy and military intervention. Over the years, ECOWAS has sought to promote an ever-widening regional integration agenda through a wide variety of strategies, action plans and programmes. Initially the regional body functioned through a state-centric, top-down approach to promoting regional integration. From the 1990s onwards, there were deliberate attempts by ECOWAS to also spur regional dynamics 'from below' through close collaboration between institutional actors, civil society and business organisations. ECOWAS recently celebrated its 40 th Anniversary. In reviewing the track record of the organisation, most analyses concur that important achievements were obtained in different domains, including restoring peace, containing conflicts, dealing with rigged elections, facilitating the free movement of people or supporting infrastructure development (trans-coastal and trans-Sahelian roads). Yet there is also a broad recognition that the initial aspirations have not been met. Overall progress in the actual implementation of ECOWAS policies in core areas such as trade, economic and monetary cooperation, energy and social development has been limited. There are still many obstacles to the free circulation of people (such as the existence of numerous check points, arbitrary and discriminatory treatment of citizens of other countries, migration laws) and goods (including the non-application of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme, illegal tariff barriers, and non-tariff barriers). Other urgent crises remain unaddressed. The Sahel is being increasingly destabilised by cross-border crime, drug trafficking, the Tuareg conflict, terrorism and the spread of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The envisaged transition in the Vision 2020 from an 'ECOWAS of States' to an 'ECOWAS of People' has still a long way to go, particularly in terms of delivering tangible outcomes for citizens. However, in assessing the performance of ECOWAS one cannot ignore the particularly harsh political, institutional and socioeconomic conditions in which the integration project had to be pursued. The region ranks particularly low regarding all human development indicators. Thirteen ECOWAS countries are classified in the low Human Development category and 60 per cent of the population is estimated to live on less than one dollar a day. This brings along major shortcomings in policy and institutional capacity across the board. ECOWAS Study http://ecdpm.org/peria/ecowas v This study of ECOWAS tries to provide insights that explain the implementation gap, as these may help inform, calibrate and target reforms as well as support efforts that are technically desirable and politically feasible. To do so, the study focuses on the key drivers and constraints that shape the ECOWAS agenda and influence implementation by analysing two policy areas: peace and security and food security (focusing on the agricultural sector and agro-food industries and trade). The study uses a political economy framework to answer two core questions: how do key actors and factors affect and shape the agenda setting of ECOWAS? And how do these different actors and factors influence what gets implemented and why? Key findings of the ECOWAS study ECOWAS was primarily created to promote economic cooperation within the region. To pursue this aim, it adopted at its inception an intergovernmental approach to governance, based on national sovereignty and non-interference in the affairs of its member states. The regional commitment at that time was essentially that member states would integrate the lofty ambitions of ECOWAS in planning and directing their national (economic) policies. It resulted in a system whereby decision-making power lies exclusively with the Authority of Heads of State and Government and the ECOWAS Secretariat is merely charged with the task of executing the decisions taken by it.
Journal of Economic Integration, 2010
A new cooperation Agreement has been signed between the European Union and the 77 ACP Countries in Cotonou (Benin) on June 23rd 2000. A point of this agreement is regarding a new trade cooperation between these different countries in districts (or regions) gathered and the European Union, based on a preferential reciprocal liberalisation. This agreement is intervening in the context of globalisation, the multilateral trade liberalization, the regionalization, the renewal of regional integration processes and, the multiplication of the internal conflicts in Africa. This paper ask if is the economic Partnership Agreement able to take into account the needs for development of the ACP countries in the strict frame of the region Western Africa The thesis developed herein want to demonstrate that the principles of the APE do not allow to take really the needs of development for the countries of the region Western Africa: in consideration to the context, the APE characteristics, the structural and institutional rigidities' of the economies of these area.
ECOWAS Regional Integration Processes and Cooperation (Abridged Version)
2014
"The Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID) considers that it is necessary to improve the knowledge of the economic and political integration processes at the ECOWAS, especially on those sectors where AECID’s support focuses, namely agriculture and food security, renewable energy and power connectivity and infrastructure. With regards to these sectors, in the annexes to the full version of this report, the key issues related to the appropriation of and alignment with the regional strategies by the countries prioritized by Spain’s Development Cooperation Policy (Senegal, Mali and Niger), as well as those considered to be of special importance for Spain in the region (Nigeria, Ghana, Cabo Verde and Burkina Faso), can be found. In the last section of this report we cover the progress made and the obstacles raised in the regional integration processes, with special focus on the above mentioned three sectors, as well as describe the main features of the EU policies and their impact on the regional integration dynamics taking place at the ECOWAS in terms of trade, finance and development. The information to write this report has been collected from different primary and secondary sources and from interviews conducted with key actors and informants during the fieldwork conducted in Abuja and Brussels."
The EU Integration Implications Ecowas
This paper examines the European Union as a perfect pattern of regional integration in order to draw out lessons for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The paper delved into the problems that have bedeviled the smooth operations of ECOWAS as a sub-regional organization. It was discovered that inadequate institutional capacity, lack of harmonized trade policies and lack of political will on the part of the leadership of ECOWAS has hindered the full integration of the sub-region and the formation of a common market. Using descriptive analysis, the paper recommended that ECOWAS member countries must show more commitment to the body in order to strengthen sectoral integration in the sub-region. It also recommended the strengthening of the deficiencies in the institutions of the sub-regional body and the harmonization of trade policies among member countries.
A DISCOURSE ON THE HISTORY, ACHIEVEMENTS AND PROBLEMS OF ECOWAS
A DISCOURSE ON THE HISTORY, ACHIEVEMENTS AND PROBLEMS OF ECOWAS, 2024
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established in 1975 with the primary objective of promoting economic integration and cooperation among its 15 member states. This discourse explores the historical evolution, significant achievements, and enduring challenges faced by ECOWAS in its quest to foster regional development and stability. The history of ECOWAS is traced from its inception during a period of post-colonial optimism, where regional integration was viewed as a pathway to economic independence and collective self-reliance. Over the decades, ECOWAS has made considerable strides in various sectors, including the establishment of a customs union, the introduction of the ECOWAS passport, and the creation of regional peacekeeping forces such as ECOMOG, which have played crucial roles in conflict resolution and peacebuilding in the region. However, ECOWAS has also encountered significant challenges. These include political instability within member states, economic disparities, and the slow pace of implementing key integration protocols. Additionally, issues such as cross-border security threats, including terrorism and organized crime, have further complicated the regional body's efforts to achieve its goals. This paper will employ a qualitative research approach, relying on a review of existing literature, including academic articles, books, and reports from international organizations. The paper will also draw on data from various sources, including the treaty of Lagos, research papers, interview with policy makers, library and archival materials, national and regional government sources etc. This discourse provides a critical examination of how ECOWAS has navigated these challenges and highlights the need for stronger political will, enhanced economic cooperation, and innovative approaches to address the socio-political and economic problems that continue to impede its progress. Through a comprehensive analysis, the paper underscores the importance of regional unity and collective action in overcoming the hurdles facing ECOWAS as it aspires to be a model of regional integration in Africa.
It has been a decade since the European Commission started negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries (ACP). During the same time the Doha Development Round representing multilateral trade negotiations on a global level, produced a stalemate, as the first push back from developing countries during such negotiations has led to Western nation’s refusal to cooperate. Global power dynamics are undergoing a cumulative reordering process, and Africa’s role seems to be shifting with this development. The focus of this research paper is the exploration and explanation for the rationale for African countries opposition to singing an ‘alternative’ bilateral trade agreement (EPAs) with the European Union. The common assumption about objectives and normative underpinnings of changes in trade regime rely on material based explanations, this essay however will furthermore draw attention to the constructivist theoretical framework to enrich and expand our understanding of this shift in Africa’s role in trade negotiations.