These boots are made for walking
In 2000, the EU and ACP countries signed a new partnership agreement in Cotonou, which replaced the Lomé Convention. Several features of the new convention are said to have weakened the economic ties between the ACP and the EU; however, provisions of the agreement touching on the political relationship are believed to have been strengthened. It seems a timely endeavour to test the partnership provisions of the Cotonou Agreement and to make the voices of Southern partners heard in the debate about the EU's future relations to developing countries.

The proposal of a debate on the future of the partnership plugs into the more political nature of the partnership; it builds on the concept of and the experience with the EADI project of 'European Development Cooperation to 2010'. The debate will be a possibility to channel the views of Southern partners into the debate on the future of ACP-EU partnership relations (via the briefing papers). The UK EU Presidency in the second half of 2005 should serve as the time-frame for the proposed project, as it might be an opportunity for an entry into debate on the future of the EU-ACP relations (having concluded a five-year period, it is a possible time for revision).

Stage I: A scoping paper will be prepared as an input into the regional debates. It will identify challenges for the ACP-EU partnership, identify options for the future and thereby offer a starting point to regional debates. Topics to cover include the relationship between foreign policy and development partnership, trade issues (inter alia the Economic Partnership Agreements, and the consequences of the 'Everything-But-Arms' regulation), and possible perspectives for region-to-region relations. These debates can be seen as a joint attempt to shape the 'partnership debate'. Early involvement of the envisaged partners in ACP regions in the writing of the scoping paper will be crucial to make it a meaningful exercise and prevent a purely EU-centred debate.

Stage II: Face-to-face contacts will be desirable for the creation of a working relationship of mutual trust and understanding; both will be essential for the second phase of the project. Stage II will predominantly consist of Meeting series in four regions of the ACP that have grouped into negotiation partners for the EU: CARICOM/CRNM, ECOWAS, COMESA (or SADC), and the Pacific Island Forum. The meetings shall be held by partner institutions in the regions.

They could address CSOs, politicians, high civil servants and specialised journalists. The joint scoping paper should trigger a debate around the challenges to and assets of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement from different regional perspectives. Possibly discussants are coming from: members of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentarian Assembly, regional organisations (incl. the AU/Nepad) and/or regional research institutes. The latter are to be identified in stage I, according to capacity and interest in the project.

Stage III: The meeting series shall feed into a number of Briefing Papers, jointly edited/published by the regional partner institution and ODI. These papers will - on the side of regional partners - express the shortcomings and give voice to ideas about the potential of ACP-EU partnership. The audience in mind are political decision-makers in both ACP states and the EU, and civil society organisations. Briefing papers, however, should be accessible for 'the interested public'.

Stage IV: Joint appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the project. Lessons learnt: What are the benefits of this project for each of the partners? What has been practicable/ successful? Where were the shortcomings? The timing of this stage depends on the finalisation of the previous stages. Delays in the debate have to be calculated in - different institutions/regions will operate at different speeds. Overlap between the phases is therefore likely; the phases therefore give a rough indication on the division of work.

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