adminThis is a challenge that the developing countries should overcome.
The developing countries should continue to strive for balanced trade relations where the developed and developing countries trade on equal footing.
The big brother bullying tactics being employed by developed countries should be resisted at all costs.
The developing countries have over the years been exploited by the developed countries that continue to exploit raw materials from developing countries for almost next to nothing to develop their economies.
The same developing countries are then supplied with finished products from their own raw materials at exorbitant prices.
The developing countries can only counter this exploitation by the developed North by increasing trade among themselves.
Addressing the just-ended 7th Heads of State and Government Summit of the African, Caribbean and Pacific, President Mugabe noted that while it was important for the ACP countries to work with the European Union, the relations with the EU should not undermine regional integration initiative within the ACP arena.
President Mugabe said the EU should not force ACP member states to ratify Economic Partnership Agreements negotiated in 2002.
He said unsettled issues over EPAS between the EU and ACP member states should be addressed before signing and ratification.
“It is ACP’s concern that the unresolved and contentious issues be fully addressed before the signing and ratification,” said Cde Mugabe.
The President said in addition to not living up to expectations, the Economic Partnership Agreement of the ACP and the EU had to a large extent undermined regional integration initiatives within ACP.
What is clear is that the EU wants to maintain the trade relations that are tilted in its favour at the expense of ACP countries.
We want to believe that all ACP countries share Cde Mugabe’s concerns so that as a group they resist being trampled upon by the EU.
It is a fact that the economies of most ACP countries are developing and as such they still have challenges such as lack of infrastructure to facilitate trade and low production capacity and all this must be taken into account when implementing trade agreements.
We totally agree with President Mugabe that for ACP countries to realise full benefits of the trade agreements, there should be flexible review mechanisms of the partnerships.
The EU as a trading partner should not be allowed to make unilateral decisions as is the case now.
The EU should treat ACP countries as equal trading partners that should be engaged before any decision is taken.
Online Reporter