Trade with Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific: the UK’s Economic Partnership Agreements

In the run-up to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, the UK government concluded Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with several countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). These agreements replicated the effects of earlier ACP-EU EPAs, assuring continuity in trade relations. But in so doing, they also reproduced problems rooted in historical legacies and earlier trade talks.

This King's Law Journal article argues that, with the time pressures around Brexit now eased, there is a strong case for revisiting these arrangements and developing a longer-term strategy towards a more inclusive and sustainable future.