Conclusion

Abstract

The Cotonou Agreement has, at its core, three stated goals; the fostering of poverty alleviation, sustainable development and the gradual of the ACP economies into the global economy. It is on the basis of these three criteria that the implementation of the Agreement must be judged. This study has therefore focused on the EU’s commitment to the ACP countries in this regard. The conclusion, based on the evidence presented here, is that the EU has failed to embrace the ‘spirit’ of the Agreement and has opted instead for a rigid, ‘ideological’ development framework that is frequently either inflexible or inappropriate to the situation concerned, or both. Moreover, the environmental aspects of ‘sustainable development’ are not always afforded sufficient priority.