THE European Union will propose a complete revamp of the Lomé Convention, its long-standing trade deal with the former African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) colonies, when the treaty comes up for renewal next year.
Recently released EU negotiating guidelines suggest that the ACP countries, which encompass nations in differnet parts of the world and with different levels of development, will for the first time be divided up and covered by several agreements with the three ACP regions. Until now, Lomé has treated them all the same.
A crucial aspect of the new deal will involve some ACP countries being asked to open their markets to EU products for the first. Previous incarnations of the trade deal allowed ACP states to receive trade concessions without having to reciprocate.
Areas that are likely to fall under new regional agreements include: West, East, Southern and Central Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. However, ACP nations themselves will decide on the formation of regional structures.