Welcome to the epamonitoring.net website
The website seeks to provide regular updates on developments in ACP-EU agro-food sector trade and investment relations which could give rise to policy challenges in the context of the development of future relations between African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the European Union (EU).
A particular focus is placed on:
- the design and implementation of EU agricultural and trade policies as they impact on ACP countries
- policy challenges in ACP countries who want to structurally transform their own agriculture and food sectors, arising from the implementation of EU agricultural trade and investment policies
- the scope for the concrete operational application of EU commitments to policy coherence for development.
The articles posted have no intention of being comprehensive in terms of the developments under way in EU-ACP agro-food sector relations which they report on.
African ACP countries in particular have an enormous potential for agricultural and rural transformation due to expanding African demand for food products. However, there is a fundamental contradiction between African aspirations for the structural transformation of local agro-food sectors and the EU’s increasingly export-orientated agro-food sector agricultural and trade policy trajectory.
The focus of epamonitoring.net is on identifying forthcoming policy challenges that need to be addressed to deliver on sustainable development objectives such as inclusive markets, sustainable agricultural development, decent work and job creation, expanding livelihood opportunities and promoting more equitable ACP-EU trade practices and relationships.
In a somewhat different context, the focus in the Caribbean and Pacific, is on the evolution of EU policies and associated private sector trade and investment strategies impacting on local aspirations for the development of their agricultural base and agro-food processing industries.
The website has been established with seed grant financing from the ACT Alliance EU Brussels office. The responsibility of the content is with the contracted implementing agency Dr Paul Goodison (GDC-Partners), whose staff have over 30 years of experience in monitoring and analysing EU policy developments, as these impact on ACP agro-food sector development. Collaborating Partners are the Ramphal Institute, Kings College, London.
Structure of the website
Articles prepared for the website are posted under 19 categories which have been established in view of current or pending developments in ACP-EU relations which will impact on the agro-food sector:
- 5 agricultural sectors: dairy; poultry; horticulture; cereals and sugar
- 7 topics: the trade effects of CAP; EU trade policy; Brexit; Post-Cotonou negotiations; food safety/SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) issues; policy coherence for developments issues; corporate level developments.
- 6 geographically specific EPA configurations and 1 general EPA section (SADC EPA, EAC EPA, Central Africa, Eastern Africa EPAs, Caribbean EPA, Pacific EPA, EPA general).
Each core article follows a 3-tired structure:
- a summary of issues raised in recent web based news postings;
- a list of web links to the original sources from which the summary is drawn; and
- a Comment and Analysis section which seeks to draw out the policy implications of the developments reviewed in the main body of the article.
In addition, the website will post Editorial and Guest Editorials, as well as reports from partner organisations.