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The Cocotou Agreement (Benin, June 23, 2000) promotes sustainable development & a contribution by the EU to poverty eradication in ACP countries (African, Caribbean & Pacific countries that signed the Lome Convention [Togo, 1975]). Since developmental impact of EPA's (European Partnership Agreements) is uncertain, ATA's (Alternative Trade Agreements) have been offered, whose developmental impacts are hard to assess & ongoing negotiations make it hard to explore alternatives to EPA's. The EU seems driven by a genuine concern for development of ACP countries, as well as by its desire to comply with WTO rules. Denying non-reciprocal trade preferences to all developing countries, it chose, however, to render its preferential relationship with ACP countries reciprocal. The author states this to be a developmental-unfriendly choice & that in further WTO negotiations the EU will make ACP-unfriendly choices to protect its own domestic agriculture. O. van Zijl

The European Union's merchandising policies have been a successful enterprise, whereas sensitive political items of safety, defense and international policies were not its priority. Since the 1990's however the EU tries to define itself in relationship to the rest of the world, of which the Common Foreign and Safety Policy (Gemeenschappelijk Buitenlands- en Veiligheidsbeleid, GBVB) is a good example with which the EU promotes and defends its interests internationally. Moreover, through the GBVB, the EU takes part in crisis control activities, as for example on the Balkans. An analysis of EU interventions and behavior during the wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, with explanations for the limited successes achieved, in particular by lack of its member states to cooperate in a unified action, partly based on differences of opinion, partly on a lack of national profit to be gained from the region concerned. Differences of opinion often based on conflicting national interests, and highly influence - negatively - on the GBVB's effectivity. To be more influential on a global scale, member states should compromise their proper interests into a unified voice, and bind together their bilateral relations into cooperation. Furthermore, problems regarding coherence and continuity exist by means of an often changing chairmanship of the EU, making the flow of information and mandates irregular, therewith reducing the GBVB's into a reactive organ, where dynamic activity is needed. References. O. van Zijl