Intellectual Property in European Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of Countries

This report examines the European Union's (EU) pursuit of 'TRIPS-plus' intellectual property (IP) provisions within the European Partnership Agreements (EPAs) negotiated with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries, arguing that these efforts could negatively impact developing countries' prospects in multilateral IP negotiations.

• The European Commission has explicitly integrated a TRIPS-Plus mandate into its trade objectives, aiming to enhance Intellectual Property Right (IPR) provisions and the enforcement of existing commitments in future bilateral agreements.
• The European Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the 76 member African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries represent a significant shift from traditional non-reciprocal trade preferences and have the potential to fundamentally change the international intellectual property landscape.
• Despite initial suggestions that the EU would not seek standards beyond TRIPS, recent EU proposals and the EU Trade Policy review paper indicate a push for higher IP standards, which the author concludes will negatively affect developing countries in multilateral IP negotiations.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2006). Intellectual Property in European Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of Countries. https://www.ciel.org/reports/fourth-quarter-2006-intellectual-property-in-european-partnership-agreements-with-the-african-caribbean-and-pacific-group-of-counties-2/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Intellectual Property in European Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of Countries. 2006. https://www.ciel.org/reports/fourth-quarter-2006-intellectual-property-in-european-partnership-agreements-with-the-african-caribbean-and-pacific-group-of-counties-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Intellectual Property in European Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of Countries |date=1 December 2006 |url=https://www.ciel.org/reports/fourth-quarter-2006-intellectual-property-in-european-partnership-agreements-with-the-african-caribbean-and-pacific-group-of-counties-2/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2006intellectual, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Intellectual Property in European Partnership Agreements with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of Countries}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2006}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ciel.org/reports/fourth-quarter-2006-intellectual-property-in-european-partnership-agreements-with-the-african-caribbean-and-pacific-group-of-counties-2/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }