The decline of Eurafrica? Lomé's mid‐term review

The last day of June 1995 saw the completion of the review of the Lomé Convention, a comprehensive trade and aid relationship between the European Union and 70 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. Given that the Lomé regime is one of the most long lived and comprehensive arrangements in North‐South relations it might have been expected that there would have been a considerable reaction by those interested in development issues. In fact, the general reaction has been muted. This is because there is a certain lack of enthusiasm for Lomé, not least on the part of powerful forces in the EU. It has been suggested that the Convention is in decline due to waning EU commitment to development in the ACP states. In this article we shall examine whether or not the Lomé relationship is actually being allowed to die on the vine by the EU. First, we shall examine developments over the history of the relationship in order to discern trends that have emerged over the longer term. We shall then turn to the recent history of the Convention since 1990. Finally, we will analyse the terms agreed at the recent Mid‐Term Review in order to assess what the future seems to hold for the Lomé regime.