The Cotonou partnership agreement on an axis between modernisation and dependency theory

The European Union (EU) has a long established trade relationship with its former colonies, the group of 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries: the ACP group1. This relationship is currently subject to a drastic change. In 2000 the former Lomé Conventions were replaced by the Cotonou Partnership Agreement. The aim is to replace former non-reciprocal trade preferences granted by the EU to the ACP countries with Economic Partnership Agreements – a form of free trade arrangements between the EU, one of the largest economic powers in the world and regional groups of developing and least-developed2 ACP countries. The new agreement will be looked at in this thesis from a developmental perspective.