EU-Côte d'Ivoire Economic Partnership Agreement

KEY POINTS

Objectives

The main objectives of this stepping stone agreement are to:

• allow Côte d'Ivoire to benefit from the duty-free, quota-free market access offered by the EU in the context of negotiations on an EPA, and to avoid disrupting trade between the two parties following the expiry of the transitional trade regime of the Cotonou Agreement in 2007 (see summary), pending the conclusion of a comprehensive EPA;
• lay the basis for the negotiation of a regional EPA which will help to reduce poverty and promote regional integration, economic cooperation and good governance in West Africa, as well as improve West Africa’s capacities as regards commercial policy and trade-related issues;
• strengthen the existing relations between the parties on the basis of solidarity and mutual interest;
• create an agreement which is compatible with Article XXIV of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.

Scope

The agreement covers a number of political and economic aspects, including:

• development cooperation to help Côte d’Ivoire achieve the goals of the EPA, including financial and non-financial aspects;
• a trade regime for goods, including rules on custom duties, trade facilitation and trade defence measures such as safeguards allowing each party to reintroduce duties or quotas on imports from the other party if these imports distort or threaten to adversely affect its economy — there are also safeguards for food security and to protect fledgling industries;
• a chapter on technical barriers to trade and sanitary and phytosanitary measures to help Ivorian exporters better meet EU import standards;
• a commitment to encourage the adoption of a global EU-West Africa EPA, including provisions on trade in services, investment, competition, intellectual property and public procurement;
• dispute prevention and settlement;
• institutional rules, including setting up an EPA committee to administer all aspects of the agreement;
• a Protocol 1, which defines the concept of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation.