The sun sets on Cotonou

摘要

Junior lodge, a trade negotiator for the 15 members of the Caribbean Forum, describes the signing of the group's new trade agreement with the European Union (eu) on December 16th as a "dark moment"-but mainly because of the late hour (1:10am Barbados time) at which the deal was inked. The agreement itself will be good for the Caribbean, he says, despite the "tremendous sacrifices" it entails. The countries he represents belong to the larger African, Caribbean and Pacific (acp) group of nations. For decades this group has enjoyed privileged access to the eu's rich and sheltered market, a legacy of empire enshrined in the Cotonou agreement. But this cosy regime is crumbling. On December 31st Cotonou ceased to be legal under the rules of the World Trade Organisation (wto), which frowns on such favouritism. The eu is bent on replacing these trade preferences with new economic "partnership agreements" (epas) based on "reciprocity" not dependency. Hence those late-night talks in Barbados.