Sources of Strain in the Eurafrican Association
| Published date | 01 August 1972 |
| DOI | 10.1177/004711787200400308 |
| Date | 01 August 1972 |
| Author | Nicholas Hutton |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
288
SOURCES
OF
STRAIN
IN
THE
EURAFRICAN
ASSOCIATION
NICHOLAS
HUTTON
The
European
Community’s
offer
of
association
to
19
African,
Caribbean
and
Pacific
Commonwealth
states’
has
provoked,
in
recent
months,
a
lively
debate
on
the
merits
and
disadvantages
of
such
a
link-up.
Yet
the
debate
must
not
become
over-extended,
for
a
decision
from
these
states
should
be
at
hand
in
time
for
the
opening
of
officials
negotiations
in
Brussels
next
August
on
the
renewal
of the
present
Yaound6
Convention.
It
will
be
recalled
that
this
agreement
links
19
former
African
colonies
of
Belgium,
Britain,’
France,
and
Italy
to
the
EC
through
a
system
of
preferential
trade,
establishment
rights,
and
a
development
fund.
The
&dquo;associables&dquo;,
as
the
prospective
Commonwealth
associates
are
termed,
must
choose
one
of
three
options
so
as
to
formalize
their
relations
with
the
enlarged
EC.
These
are : -
1.
Participation
in
the
same
Convention
of
Association
as
the
Associated
African
States,
Madagascar,,
and
Mauritius.
2.
Conclusion
of
one
or
more
Conventions
of
Association
comprising
reciprocal
rights
and
obligations,
particularly
in
the
trade
sphere.
3.
Conclusion
of
trade
agreements.
In
declining
order,
each
of
the
3
options
implies
a
different
level
of
political
commitment
of
the
partners
towards
association.
The
first
choice,
favoured
by
the
European
Commission,
in
the
interest
of
continuity,
provides
for
close
institutional
links
on
the
present
Yaoundd
pattern,
i.e.
with
regular
meetings
of
an
associa-
tion
council,
a
joint
commission,
a
court
of
arbitration,
a
parlia-
mentary
conference,
and
a
development
aid
fund.
The
second
option
would
probably
take
the
form
of
an
Arusha-type
agreement
(concluded
in
1969
between
the
EC
and
Kenya,
Tanzania
and
Uganda)
under
Article
238
of the
Rome
Treaty
with
looser
institutional
ties
and
without
aid.
The
final
option
would
be
a
simple
trade
agreement
on
the
lines
of
those
entered
into
with
certain
Mediterranean
countries
(Egypt,
Israel,
Lebanon
etc.).
Recent
debates
among
the
participants
have
revealed
several
sources
of
attitudinal
diversity
towards
the
future
shape
of
Eurafrican
association.
These
sources
of
strain
have
multidimen-
sional
characteristics.
They
involve
principles
(e.g.
the
extent
to
which
association
will
involve
the
granting
of
important
political
concessions)
and
details
(e.g.
the
effect
of
association
on
the
export
capabilities
of
certain
primary
products).
The
conflicts
are
both
1
Barbados,
Botswana.
Fiji,
Gambia,
Ghana,
Guyana,
Jamaica,
Kenya,
Lesotho,
Malawi,
Nigeria,
Sierra
Leone,
Swaziland,
Tanzania,
Tonga,
Trinidad
and
Tobago,
Uganda,
Western
Samoa,
Zambia.
2
Mauritius
became
the
first
Commonwealth
state
to
accede
to
the
YC
on
12
May
1972.
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