Helmut Asche Livres

The book explores regional economic integration in Africa, tracing its evolution from post-independence unions to the ambitious African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to eliminate trade barriers among all 55 African nations. It provides an empirical analysis of the progress made by Africa's Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in aligning with a linear integration model that encompasses goods, labor, and capital markets, highlighting both achievements and challenges in the integration process.

The Cotonou Agreement of June 2000 significantly transformed trade relations between the European Union and African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) states by introducing Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). These agreements encompass a wide range of areas, including merchandise trade, services, investment, and broader development issues. However, their impact extends beyond economics. While "Negotiating regions" indicates the regional groupings involved in the negotiations, the deeper implications reveal that the EU's goal of enhancing regional integration, particularly in Africa, is uncertain. The EPA negotiations have sometimes disrupted existing integration efforts, resulting in a deterritorialisation of certain regions. Conversely, they have also spurred the creation of new regional groupings, leading to a reterritorialisation of Africa. Consequently, EPAs contribute to a more complex landscape of regional groupings while simultaneously streamlining ongoing integration processes. This volume features insights from international experts in African studies and global economics, exploring the challenges, questions, and benefits posed by the EPAs for EU-Africa trade and the continent's development.

Die Untersuchung beleuchtet die Entwicklung der wirtschaftlichen Integration in Afrika von den frühen Gewerkschaften nach der Unabhängigkeit bis zur geplanten Afrikanischen Kontinentalen Freihandelszone (AfCFTA). Im Fokus steht die Analyse der Fortschritte der regionalen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaften (RECs) im Rahmen eines linearen Integrationsmodells, das die Märkte für Güter, Arbeitskräfte und Kapital umfasst. Das Buch bietet somit einen umfassenden Überblick über die Herausforderungen und Chancen der wirtschaftlichen Zusammenarbeit auf dem Kontinent.