This study provides early ex-post empirical evidence on the effects of provisionally applied Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) on two-way trade flows between the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP). Employing the gravity model of trade, we do not...

In the renegotiations of the Lomé Convention (1998-2000) not only trade issues but also the aid relationship were under review. A major challenge is induced by the EU's proposal of shifting the aid allocation from needs to merit criteria. Our regression analysis shows, however, that EU aid was...

Handelsabkommen können langfristig zu Entwicklung und damit zur Bekämpfung von Fluchtursachen beitragen - wenn sie dezidiert auf nachhaltige Entwicklung und echte Marktöffnung hin gestaltet sind. Neuere Theorien und Empirie zeigen, dass der Zusammenhang zwischen Handel und Migration äußerst...

A few weeks before the Brexit date of 31 October 2019, the big questions remain unanswered: Will Britain withdraw from the European Union? And if so, with or without a deal? These decisions not only affect the European Union and the United Kingdom itself, they also have consequences for the 79...

Handelsabkommen können langfristig zu Entwicklung und damit zur Bekämpfung von Fluchtursachen beitragen - wenn sie dezidiert auf nachhaltige Entwicklung und echte Marktöffnung hin gestaltet sind. Neuere Theorien und Empirie zeigen, dass der Zusammenhang zwischen Handel und Migration äußerst...

This paper investigates Ghana-EU trade under the new Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The study seeks to examine the influence of the EPA on trade from the Ghanaian perspective. Using qualitative methods, focusing on review of trade literature from Eurostat, European Trade Commission, and...

This paper exams two mega-regional FTAs under negotiation at the time of writing, namely the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and exams what the implications may be - particularly of new rules in regulatory sectors hitherto untouched by...

The proliferation of regional trade agreements (RTAs) which share similar ideals with the World Trade Organization (WTO) has added to claims of disintegration within international trade law. Notwithstanding the ambiguity surrounding the reading of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)...

This book critically engages with a long tradition of scholarly work that conceives of the European Union as a peculiar international actor that pursues a value-based, normatively oriented and development-friendly agenda in its relations with international partners. The EU is a pivotal player in...

Can small "weak" countries shape the outcomes of asymmetric trade negotiations and, if so, how? I scrutinise ten episodes of trade negotiations involving powerful European states and small developing countries from Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) since the 1960s. I draw on legal...

This paper appraises the likely effects of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the East African Community (EAC) and the European Union (EU). Customs data are used to estimate the revenue and welfare effects of an EPA with and without an exception list. Revenue and welfare effects...

Can small "weak" countries shape the outcomes of asymmetric trade negotiations and, if so, how? I scrutinise ten episodes of trade negotiations involving powerful European states and small developing countries from Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) since the 1960s. I draw on legal...

Since at least the 1960s, the European Union (EU) has offered various kinds of non-reciprocal trade preferences for developing countries. Originally, these trade preferences had at least two policy goals: (i) to increase export volumes for developing countries and thereby boost their export...

The European Commission has promised to promote decent work in the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries through facilitation of pro-poor direct investment and livelihood-creating trade deals. Aligning with the discourse of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the European...

Integration through law -- Regional trade agreements as legal regimes -- The EU as a global actor -- The normative legal character of sustainable development -- Transforming the ACP-EU 'special' relationship -- African regionalisms as flexible legal regimes -- Regionalism in Southern Africa --...

Since early 2008 there have been interim trade agreements between the EU and six regions of ACP countries in force which could be stepping stones towards full Economic Partnership Agreements between the EU and all ACP countries. This paper estimates the welfare effects of the interim agreements...

Despite the long relationship between the European Union and the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) countries aimed at encouraging their exports while stimulating growth and investment, the ACP states still face difficulties in integrating into the world economy. The author examines the...

Most of the world's developing countries have been colonies under one of the EU Member States. Today the European Union pursues preferential policies (in the form of special legal relationships) towards most of these former colonies. These preferential policies however differ rather...