The European Union and Developing Countries

The European Union (EU) is a vital focus for developing countries. Not only is it the largest source of aid and technical cooperation, but it is also the world's largest market for their exports. EU policies are therefore of immediate concern for the countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Mediterranean. Traditionally the EU has organized its relations with developing countries on a regional basis, reflecting the origins of the European Community in the 1950s as essentially a regionalist Western European organization. However, the late 1990s are the era of globalization and the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) increasingly threaten the regional trade preferences on which the EU's patchwork of regional arrangements rest. This book examines the EU's response to these major strategic shifts in world economic relations following the end of the Cold War and the technological innovations which have made globalization a reality. The book is based on papers presented during the 1996 course on 'The EU and Developing Countries' at the postgraduate College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium, within an incisive analytical framework provided by the editor. The analysis is particularly timely and relevent as it affords well-researched insights into the origins and strategic directions of EU policies towards the rest of the world. This book will be of interest to all those concerned with the future evolution of Europe, its foreign relations, and especially its policies towards developing countries. The College of Europe, located in Bruges, Belgium, and in Natolin, Poland, trains competent and experienced Europeans. A unique and innovative postgraduate institute of European studies, it combines highly specialized as well as interdisciplinary studies with the practical experience of cultural diversity acquired through living and working in a truly European community.

Table of Contents:
Foreword; J.Delors Preface Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Notes on the Contributors PART ONE: FORCES SHAPING EU DEVELOPMENT POLICY An Introduction to EU Development Cooperation;C.Cosgrove-Sacks The Role of the European Commission;B.Claes The Role of the European Court of Justice; J.Larsson France and EU Development Cooperation; J.Rajoharison The United Kingdom and EU Aid; P.Tod Mediterranean Influence on EU Policy; A.Oddone Nordic Approaches to EU Development Policy; A.Amorsson PART TWO: THE LOME CONVENTION: THE EU AND THE AFRICAN CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC STATES (ACP) EU-ACP Relations in the Mid 1990s;G.Scappucci The Record of the Trade Provisions;K.Radtke The European Development Fund;E.Giaufret The European Investment Bank;A.De Castro South Africa and Lome; C.Haupert ECHO: Humanitarian Aid;E.Ascroft PART THREE: THE MEDITERRANEAN CHALLENGE A Review of the Barcelona Conference and a Summary of EU Policy Objectives; F.J.Raya Turkey, Cyprus, Malta: Potential EU Members?;M.P.Pace Israel and the EU;A.Kosnikowski PART FOUR: THE PERIPHERY: EU COOPERATION WITH ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA EC Investment Partners Programme; S.Lamigeon EU-ASEAN Relations; M.Bonet India and the EU;J.Vandenborre EU-ANDEAN Relations;K.Kowald PART FIVE: COMMERCIAL INSTRUMENTS OF EU POLICY EU Trade Policy and Preferences;B.Atkinson EU Textiles Policy and Developing Countries; M.Lemaitre The EU and the World Trade Organisation; C.Costello Globalization and EU Relations with Developing Countries; C.Cosgrove-Sacks Index

About the Author :
CAROL COSGROVE-SACKS is Director of the Trade Division in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in Geneva and a Professor at the College of Europe, Bruges. She is an experienced and respected trade development economist, a professor, entrepreneur and manager. Previously she has taught at the universities of Basel, Reading, Aberdeen, Surrey, and Tufts (London and Boston, USA). She is also the author/editor of 11 books and over 70 articles, mainly on international relations and trade development issues. She has served on the executive boards of the Central Statistical Office (UK), the Management Centre Europe (Brussels), and the Institute of Development Studies (UK). As Director of the Trade Division of the UNE/ECE her principal professional priority is to support the integration of the transition economies into European and global markets.

Review :
'Each of the twenty-four papers in this excellent volume offers a concise, accessible and multidisciplinary overview of its subject area. As such, this work will be of value to specialists and newcomers alike.' - Shivdeep Singh Grewal, Political Studies '...takes into account all but the very recent of developments in EU-ACP relations and manages to assemble a composite picture which is coherent, comprehensive and interesting.' - Georg Wiessala, University of Central Lancashire