Evaluation of Preferential Agricultural Trade Regimes, in particular Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)

The project concerns the impact of existing Economic Cooperation Agreements between the EU and the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries on the development of trade in agricultural products. The effects on trade are being examined between the ACP countries, between the ACP countries and the EU, and between the ACP countries and other countries. The study should answer 4 key evaluation questions:

• To what extent has market access through preferential agreements affected trade in agricultural products;
• What factors contributed to the existence or absence of effects on agricultural trade, taking into account market access under different agreements and conditions;
• What is the role of non-tariff measures in the composition, volume and value of agricultural trade between the EU and the ACP countries;
• To what extent is the implementation of the Agreements efficient, relevant and consistent with their initial objectives;

To conduct the evaluation, Kantor conducted 7 case studies in 7 ACP countries in order to study specific products. Both countries and products were selected based on specific criteria and agreed with DG AGRI.

The country / product combinations were as follows: Cameroon / Bananas, Ghana / Cocoa, Mozambique / Sugar, Kenya / Vegetables, Guyana / Rice, Namibia / Beef, Ethiopia / Flowers.