There is a strong emphasis on a regional approach to trade negotiations, as shown by the recently concluded Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, the on-going EU negotiations with Mercosur and Central America and the Canada-Caribbean free trade agreement talks, among many others. The approach is controversial, with questions on whether regional agreements are building blocks or stumbling blocks.
We believe that the answer to such questions lie in the specific details of each agreement. These depend less on what the textbooks recommend than on what negotiators can actually agree. There are two parts to our work:
- Assisting developing country policy makers in the negotiating process: to help offset the asymmetry of North-South negotiations, and increase the likelihood of producing agreed texts are development friendly. We do this by building capacity and providing technical assistance.
- Providing policy analysis on the implications of alternative provisions in the areas under negotiation, and ways in which a development friendly outcome may be better achieved through other means.
Our work has closely followed trade negotiations between regions such as the EU and:
- The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP): including the East African Community (EAC - Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi), the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) and theSouthern African Development Community (SADC).
- South and Central America: Andean, Mercosur.
- South East Asia: Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN).
The theory of regional integration often clashes with the practicalities of negotiations and accompanying institutional development. Our work focuses, therefore, on the provision of specific policy recommendations based on in-depth country research and analysis; with the emphasis on getting the details right for development.
