ABSTRACT
The Cotonou Agreement was signed on 23 June 2000 by African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states and the European Union. The agreement is considered as the basis of a new partnership predicated on a new cooperative arrangement set to promote economic, social and cultural development of the ACP states. In this chapter, the Articles being referred to are not those of the Cotonou Agreement itself, but are those of the Summary Document provided by the European Union. The Cotonou Agreement aims at reducing and possibly eradicating poverty in ACP states. It is also meant to facilitate the entry of the ACP states into the global economy through a sustainable development process. It provides an integrated framework aimed at strengthening politics, trade and development in a combined fashion. Negotiating trade liberalisation is the cornerstone of the agreement, thus bringing to an end the system of non-reciprocal trade preferences.
