Local and regional government and the ACP-EU partnership agreement

The Cotonou Partnership Agreement will expire on 29 February 2020. It is a comprehensive political, aid and trade accord concluded between the European Union and 79 countries of the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States. It is also one of the few development cooperation agreements which explicitly includes local and regional governments among the key stakeholders in its implementation in article 4.

This study seeks to find out if local and regional governments have been actively involved in the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement at national, regional and pan-ACP levels. It also looks at the potential prospects for a stronger role for local and regional governments in the post-2020 ACP-EU relationship.