ACP/EU Relations
Between 1975 and 2000, there were four (4) Lomé Conventions dealing with cooperation between the ACP countries and the Member States of the European Union. The Conventions covered the areas of Financial and Technical Cooperation, Trade Cooperation and Development, Agriculture, Mining and Energy, Development of Services, Regional Cooperation, Culture and Social Cooperation and the Environment.
The provisions of these Conventions allowed Jamaica to benefit from non-reciprocal preferential access to the European markets, including under product-specific protocols for bananas, rum, sugar and rice.
The four Lomé Conventions were negotiated as follows: Lomé I (1975-1980), Lomé II (1981–1985), Lomé III (1985–1990), and Lomé IV (1990–1999).
In 2000, the fourth Lomé Convention was succeeded by the ACP/EU Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA) as the main framework of cooperation between the parties.
The CPA was revised in 2005 and 2010 and 2015 as per the five year review process provided for in the Agreement.
Its main sections include: (1) objectives and principles; (2) institutional provisions; (3) cooperation strategies; (4) development finance cooperation; (5) general provisions for LDCs, landlocked and island ACP states; and (6) final provisions including scope of the Agreement, duration and ratification.
The CPA will expire in 2020.
The CPA calls for the ACP and the EU to negotiate a successor arrangement commencing in 2018. To this end, preparations have begun, both within the ACP and the EU.
For further information, see links: