GREEN PAPER
on relations between the European Union and the ACP countries
on the eve of the 21st century
Challenges and options for a new partnership
Reflection document presented by the European Commission
This report should be cited as: European Commission. 1996. Green Paper on relations
between the European Union and the ACP countries on the eve of the 21st century -
Challenges and options for a new partnership. Brussels: European Commission
DG VIII page
PART ONE: A WORLD IN TURMOIL
CHAPTER I. GLOBAL CHANGES AFFECTING ACP-EU RELATIONS
- A. The international context and its consequences for the ACP countries and Europe
- B.The external action of the Union and development cooperation policy
- C. The Union's development role
CHAPTER II. THE EXPERIENCE OF ACP-EU COOPERATION
- A. Relations between the Union and the ACP countries: their origins and subsequent
development
- B. Successes and failures of cooperation under the Lomé Convention
- C. Implications for future partnership
CHAPTER III. SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHANGE IN ACP STATES: LIMITING
FACTORS AND POTENTIAL
- A. The vicissitudes of economic policy in a deeply uncertain climate
- B. Anticipating risks and exploiting potential
- C. Implications for the future partnership
PART TWO: A BLUEPRINT FOR ACP-EU RELATIONS AS THE 21st CENTURY APPROACHES
CHAPTER IV. TOWARDS A NEW PARTNERSHIP
- A. The place of the ACPEU partnership in the European Union's external policy
- B. Revitalizing the ACPEU partnership by strengthening its political dimension
- C. Opening up the framework of ACPEU cooperation
- D. The geographical cover of cooperation agreements: options
- E. The European partners and coordination: options
CHAPTER V. OPTIONS FOR A NEW EU COOPERATION POLICY WITH THE ACP
STATES
- A. The socio-economic dimension
- B. The institutional dimension
- C. Trade and investment
CHAPTER VI. OPTIONS FOR A NEW PRACTICE IN THE FIELD OF FINANCIAL
AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION
- A. A single source of funds or multiple smaller sources?
- B. Should aid be granted according to need or according to merit?
- C. Types of aid
- D. Co-management, EU-only management or autonomous management by recipients themselves?
FOLLOW-UP TO THE GREEN PAPER
Foreword
Cooperation between the European Union and the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and
the Pacific dates back to the origins of the Community. The Lomé Convention, which has
been the framework for trade and development aid ties between the EU and 70 ACP States
since 1975, is one of the most important facets of the European Union's external
activities. This Convention expires on 29 February 2000 and negotiations between the
Contracting Parties should start 18 months before that date, namely in September 1998. In
view of the major changes that have taken place over the last 20 years, the time has come
to take a fresh look at the future of ACP-EU relations.
The world is now a very different place. New challenges have arisen and both we and our
partners have new preoccupations.
In a world now multipolar, the Union must make its presence felt in all regions of the
world. It is striving to forge its external identity through a more effective and more
global common foreign and security policy, an effective and differentiated development
policy, and a multilateral trade policy designed to open up markets in accordance with
negotiated common rules.
Standards of living in the ACP countries have improved markedly in terms of health,
education and access to essential services, but the overall situation remains critical: 41
of the 50 least-developed countries (LLDCs) are ACP countries. These are countries only
marginally involved in international trade and where the bleak outlook for tackling
poverty is worrying.
The economic marginalization of some ACP countries has gone hand in hand with social
disintegration, mounting violence and a proliferation of armed conflicts which often
trigger humanitarian disasters, undermining development policies and deflecting the
international community's aid efforts towards emergency action and crisis management.
Other countries, on the other hand, and thankfully their number is swelling, have
developed their political and economic capacities in a way that opens up new possibilities
in their relations with overseas partners, particularly in Europe.
The European Union must be equipped to tackle these differing situations, not only
because a spirit of solidarity - in particular with the poorest countries - is part and
parcel of its identity, but also because it has objective short-, medium- and long-term
interests which require it to act and plan for the future in open and dynamic relations
with its partners. What we make of the post-Lomé world is essentially a political choice
and the future partnership must meet the new concerns of Europeans and live up to the
expectations of the ACP peoples. Public support for an active EU development policy is
much higher than is widely believed. However, the public also wants to see results and we
must strive to satisfy this concern. The concern for development effectiveness explains
why this Green Paper contains an indepth review of development objectives and of their
implementation through cooperation.
In this new environment, the Commission, drawing on the lessons of nearly 25 years of
Lomé partnership, thought that the forthcoming institutional milestone in ACPEU
cooperation would be the right occasion for a detailed review and frank and substantial
debate on the future of these ties.
The Green Paper reflects these concerns. It contains a summary of the salient topics
for discussion and an analysis divided into two parts: the first an assessment of what has
been achieved and major political, economic and social trends, the second outlining ideas
and options for breathing fresh life into the ACPEU partnership and recharging it with the
relevance and effectiveness needed to face up to the challenges of the 21st century. This
does not mean we want a tabula rasa: an objective assessment of not only the
problems but also the successes of Lomé cooperation will identify guidelines, objectives
and policies that should be retained and reinforced. The European Union has achievements
to boast of: its broad vision, its commitment to sectoral policies, its strong presence on
the ground and its capacity to promote certain policies or influence certain processes all
testify to its unceasing efforts to improve the impact of development policy.
The European Union's primary concern must be the integration of the poor into the
economic and social life and the integration of the ACP countries into the world economy.
This is why our development framework should be extensible to fresh areas of cooperation
and other agents of development in civil society, especially the private sector.
The aim of the Green Paper is to provide food for thought, trigger wide-ranging debate
and pave the way for dialogue between those concerned by the expiry of the Lomé
Convention. It is addressed to all those involved in development. It does not
frame any formal proposals and the list of options put forward in no way predetermines the
proposals that the Commission may table in due course. It is part of a debate which
has already given rise to seminars, meetings and publications.
Following this debate, the Commission will, at the appropriate time, draw up proposals
for a new partnership in a communication to the Council setting out negotiating
directives.
Our goal is clear, to revitalize ACP-EU relations; open new horizons and boost the
chances of success. ACP-EU relations are still a key part of the Union's identity. The
postcolonial era is coming to an end but our responsibilities towards the ACP countries
continue, for deeprooted reasons that the Green Paper sets out to explain. On the
threshold of the 21st century the ACP countries are looking forward, perhaps for the first
time, to real prospects for development. But at the same time the standing and strength of
government structures in these countries are under severe strain. This is not the time to
slacken our efforts or downgrade the quality of our partnership. We should rather raise
our political sights in the best sense of the term.
Professor Joăo de Deus Pinheiro
Contents
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6
Updated on December 17, 1996
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