By early 2000, a new trade agreement must be negotiated between the 72 countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group and the European Union, to replace Lome IV. This volume features: a commentary on the EU's proposals for the new trade arrangements.

By early 2000, a new trade agreement must be negotiated between the 72 countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group and the European Union, to replace Lomé IV. This volume features: a commentary on the EU's proposals for the new trade arrangements; an analysis of two free trade area agreements which indicate what these proposals could mean for ACP countries; and a series of suggested counter proposals by the ACP group.

Human rights, democracy and governance concerns are prominent elements in the development cooperation policy of the European Community. The relations between the European Community (EC) and 71 developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) have proved to be a laboratory for developing ideas on these matters, for translating them into binding treaty norms, and for applying them in practice. The experiences gained in the ACP-EC relationship carry special value because they are the product of dialogue and joint decision-making between groups of developed and developing states. Therefore, 25 years of ACP-EC cooperation under the Lomé Convention provide a rich learning ground for anybody involved or interested in (the debate on) linking development cooperation to human rights and to human rights related concerns. This book explores the international law aspects of the subject. It first investigates the general international legal basis for linking development cooperation to human rights, democracy and good governance. Both the negative and positive ways of making such a linking (by punitive and supportive measures) are addressed. The book then delves into the evolution of Lomé treaty norms on the subject, and into the concrete human rights practices that took shape under them. It explores the contributions to and influence of both the EC and ACP states on those treaty provisions and practices. A comprehensive overview is provided of the support measures and sanctions resorted to in response to the human rights situation in ACP countries. The book assesses the overall experiences gained and presents a synthesis of factors that proved to be constraints or conducive to the efforts to integrate human rights fully into ACP-EC development cooperation. The insights gained could well inform similar efforts undertaken by others.

The Lomé IV Convention, which provides the framework for development co-operation between the European Union (EU) and 71 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states, expires in the year 2000. The form that a successor arrangement would take, will be of considerable importance to the ACP countries, more than half of which belong to the Commonwealth. This study examines the possible options for the next phase of ACP-EU co-operation, addressing the diverse trade and development interests of ACP countries.