Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - Regional integration for development in ACP countries {SEC(2008) 2538} {SEC(2008) 2539}
Date: 2008-10-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: ACP countries, aid policy, developing countries, development aid, economic integration, least-developed country, sustainable development

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 6.10.2008 
COM(2008) 604 final/2 

CORRIGENDUM 
Annule et remplace le document COM(2008)604 final du 1.10.2008  
Référence ajoutée dans les footnotes 1 et 6 
Concerne les versions : FR, DE et EN 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Regional integration for development in ACP countries 

{SEC(2008) 2538} 
{SEC(2008) 2539} 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

Regional integration for development in ACP countries 

1. 

1
A CHANGING CONTEXT

Globalisation  has  gained  momentum  and  brought  about  a  new  level  of  economic 
interdependence,  to  which  the  African,  Caribbean  and  Pacific  (ACP)  countries  are  not  fully 
taking part. Regional integration is increasingly regarded as a tool for reaping the benefits and 
countering the negative impacts of globalisation. 

Europe  is  a  long-standing  supporter  of  regional  integration  in  developing  countries,  but  the 
last time when the Commission outlined its vision was in 19952. Today, not only is regional 
integration firmly anchored in the European Union (EU) development policy3, but a number 
of  recent  policy  initiatives  have  a  direct  impact  or  focus  on  regional  integration  in  ACP 
countries.  Over  the  last  two  years  in  particular,  important  developments  have  included  the 
regional programming of the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) and an intense phase of 
the negotiation of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with ACP regions. 

Yet, more can be done, and better. There is a need to take stock, review the coherence of EU 
action and outline the way forward. This Communication provides an updated, comprehensive 
and  consistent  EU  vision  of  regional  integration  as  a  key  mechanism  for  the  sustainable 
development  of  ACP  countries,  articulates  the  role  of  regional  political  and  policy 
cooperation,  and  calls  on  Member  States  to  rally  around  a  shared  vision  and  common 
principles. 

2. 

ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES IN REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN ACP COUNTRIES 

Since  the  mid-1990s,  there  has  been  a  steady  expansion,  in  depth  and  breadth,  of  ACP 
regional integration. The most notable achievements are the efforts to create free-trade areas 
and customs and monetary unions. Yet, the "cost of non-integration" is still excessively high. 
Specific challenges vary from region to region but overall, five issues are found everywhere:  

–  The  lack  of  ownership  and  institutional  capacities  at  regional  and  national  level.  This 
includes  inadequate  mandates,  lack  of  legal  and  political  tools  for  effective  policy 
implementation, and insufficient ownership by stakeholders, in particular civil society and 
national administrations.  

–  The  need  to  overcome  the  fragmentation  of  regional  markets  and  to  better  implement 
economic 
integration  agreements.  This  should  be  accompanied  by  streamlining 
overlapping  and  inconsistent  integration  agendas,  taking  into  account  the  specificities  of 
each region (in particular insular regions).  

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Additional  background  information  can  be  found  in  Commission  Staff  Working  Paper  (SEC(2008) 
2539 of 01.10.2008) 
Commission  Communication  on  European  Community  support  for  regional  economic  integration 
efforts among developing countries, COM (1995) 219 final, 16 June 1995. 
"The 
on 
http://ec.europa.eu/development/policies/consensus_en.cfm 

Development", 

Consensus 

European 

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–  Insufficient  economic  diversification,  which  results  in  high  dependence  on  a  small 
number of export commodities and lack of complementarities between national economies. 

–  Inefficient  infrastructure  interconnections  which  generate  excessively  high  costs  for 

intra-regional transport and utilities.  

–  The need for more effective regional policies to address common challenges in support 
of  sustainability  by  minimising  the  negative  externalities  of  enhanced  economic 
integration,  maximising  the  positive  synergies  between  economic  integration  and 
sustainable  growth,  and  spreading  the  benefits  and  costs  of  regional  integration  more 
evenly.  

3. 

THE EU PERSPECTIVE OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION FOR DEVELOPMENT  

The following broad definition of regional integration, which reflects the Cotonou Partnership 
Agreement (CPA), is proposed: regional integration is the process of overcoming, by common 
accord,  political,  physical,  economic  and  social  barriers  that  divide  countries  from  their 
neighbours,  and  of  collaborating  in  the  management  of  shared  resources  and  regional 
commons.  

The European  experience is a point  of reference  for  many  ACP  regions.  The  political  goals 
and the specific objectives of regional integration are broadly similar. Yet the methods used in 
ACP  regions  more  often  rely  on  consensual  cooperation  and  coordination  than  on 
supranationalism and sovereignty-sharing.  

Three main objectives of regional integration can be distinguished:  

–  Political  stability  is  a  pre-requisite  for  economic  development.  Regional  organisations 
play  an  increasing  role  in  defusing  conflicts  within  and  between  countries  and  in 
promoting  human  rights.  Regional  integration  also  helps  building  trust,  enhancing 
understanding between groups and deepening interdependence. 

–  Economic  development:  In  larger  and  more  harmonised  markets,  the  free  movement  of 
goods, services, capital and people enables economies of scale and stimulates investment, 
thus  spurring  economic  growth  and  increasing  south-south  trade.  The  right  mix  of 
gradually-increased  regional  and  extra-regional  competition  and  a  measured  protection 
allows smooth integration into the global trading system and makes regional integration a 
vehicle for growth and accelerated poverty reduction. 

–  Regional  public  goods:  Only  cooperation  between  neighbouring  countries  can  address 
challenges  of  a  trans-national  dimension  such  as  food  security,  natural  resources, 
biodiversity, climate change, and disease and pest control. 

This  definition  and  multidimensional  vision  of  regional  integration  should  guide  all  EU 
actions4 in support of integration processes of ACP countries. 

4. 

THE PROPOSED APPROACH TO EU SUPPORT TO REGIONAL INTEGRATION FOR ACP 
DEVELOPMENT 

As  a  response  to  the  five  challenges  identified  in  Section  2,  the  EU  should  commit  to 
supporting  the  five  priorities  below5.  This  should  be  done  on  the  basis  of  each  regions' 

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Including the EU-Africa Partnership on trade and regional integration. 

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strategic development plan and a dialogue resulting in the joint assessment of challenges, and 
should be focused as appropriate on regional specificities and needs. 

4.1. 

Strengthening regional institutions 

The EU should support: 

–  Regional governance and cooperation for peace and stability, between states as well as 

within states, including the promotion of human rights.  

–  The improvement of institutional capacities at regional and national level, with renewed 

efforts to strengthen the national capacities to implement regional policies.  

–  The simplification of the institutional architecture and integration agendas.  

–  Stronger  ownership  of  regional  integration  processes,  with  broader  diversity  of 

stakeholders at both national and regional levels.  

4.2. 

Building regional integrated markets 

The EU should continue to support regions in this area, including:  

–  The  effective  implementation  of  regional  commitments  in  trade  in  goods,  including  the 

modernisation of customs systems and the collection of public revenue.  

–  The  integration  of  the  services  sector  and  investment  with  the  objective  of  enhancing 
competition  on  the  regional  markets,  lowering  the  excessive  costs  of  services  and 
establishing more transparent and stable regional investment rules. 

–  Technical  barriers  to  trade  (TBT)  and  Sanitary  and  Phytosanitary  Standards  (SPS): 
standardisation  and  harmonisation  with  international  standards  remove  the  need  for 
burdensome  controls,  improves  food  safety  on  a  regional  level  and  facilitates  access  of 
regionally-produced goods to international markets. 

–  Monetary  integration:  Several  ambitious  agendas  for  regional  monetary  unions  in  ACP 
need  to  take  into  account  that  the  progress  between  monetary  and  economic  integration 
should be closely linked. The EU is ready to share its own experience of integration and 
policy  coordination  with  ACP  partners.  The  issue  of  macro-economic  coordination  will 
receive  more  attention  in  the  context  of  the  dialogue  on  EC  general  budget  support  at 
national level. 

4.3. 

Supporting business development 

The EU should reinforce the regional dimension of its support to business development and 
productive capacity building in areas where regional level action adds value:  

–  Improving  the  regulatory  environment  (e.g.  business  and  company  laws,  industrial 
standards, intellectual property rules, competition laws, tax policies, including tax fraud);  

–  Strengthening  productive  capacities  (development  of  industrial  and  export  strategies, 

regional training and research institutions);  

–  Developing  financial  regional  markets  to  mobilise  regional  and  external  capital  for 

business development, in particular SMEs; 

–  Promoting inter-enterprise co-operation to foster production networks and supply chains 

as well as networks of business associations.  

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See Section 5 on tools.  

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4.4. 

Connecting regional infrastructure networks 

The EU should support the increase in infrastructure stock, with an emphasis on completing 
the  "missing  links"  between  national  road,  energy  and  telecommunications  networks.  EC 
support to Infrastructure, which includes support to the EU-Africa Infrastructure Partnership, 
will be scaled up by 50% between the 9th EDF (2000-2007) and the 10th EDF (2008-2013). 
EU Member States should also join in these efforts. 

4.5. 

Developing regional policies for sustainable development  

The EU should assist efforts by the regions to manage common challenges where the regional 
added value is greatest for the sustainable livelihood of populations. Depending on the region, 
this may cover:  

–  Food  security  and  agricultural  production:  harmonisation  of  policies  and  standards, 
regional information systems allowing better-functioning of regional markets for food and 
agricultural  inputs,  management  of  regional  food  stocks,  and  policies  against  land 
degradation and desertification can help improve food security.  

–  The common management of natural resources: trans-boundary environmental problems 
can only be tackled through comprehensive and effective regional policies. The EC will, in 
particular,  support  the  fight  against  climate  change  and  biodiversity  loss  as  well  as  the 
sustainable management of fisheries, forests, energy resources and water basins.  

–  Social  cohesion  at  regional  level:  national  and  regional  redistributive  policies  are 
important for the costs and benefits of regional integration to be evenly distributed across 
and within countries.  

The  above  will  also  be  supported  by  developing  science  and  technology  capacities  to 
enhance  science's  contribution  to  tackling  shared  problems  and  to  fostering  growth  and 
reducing poverty. 

5. 

MAKING  THE  MOST  OF  EU  TOOLS  TO  SUPPORT  REGIONAL  INTEGRATION  IN  ACP 
COUNTRIES 

EU  support  to  ACP  regional  integration  is  founded  on  the  basic  principles  of  the  CPA: 
ownership, dialogue and sustainable development. Accordingly, the EU respects the choices 
made by its partners on the objectives, design, speed and focus of their integration processes. 
The  EU  should  support  choices  that  regions  make  for  themselves.  This  entails  efforts  and 
responsibilities also on the part of our ACP partners. 

In addition, subsidiarity is to be a key guiding concept. It is also in ACP partners' interest to 
deal with issues at the level that will maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the activity.  

5.1. 

EU-ACP political partnerships for regional development 

The  EU  has  recently  deepened  a  global  political  dialogue  between  its  institutions  and  ACP 
regions, leading to the adoption of regional strategies for the Caribbean (March 2006) and the 
Pacific (May 2006), and the Joint EU-Africa Strategy (December 2007).  

This  ongoing  dialogue  focuses,  in  particular,  on  peace,  security  and  conflict  prevention,  as 
well  as  on  sharing  experience  in  integration  and  common  policies.  As  the  EU  is  itself  an 
integrated region, this dialogue should evolve towards a fully joined-up EU approach.  

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It is therefore essential to improve the coherence and effectiveness of all instruments available 
to the EU, so as to enhance their impact on the five priorities outlined above. 

5.2. 

Political dialogue at regional level: Being true to the spirit of Cotonou 

To strengthen this dialogue at the regional level, the EU should:  

–  Enhance  dialogue  on  regional  integration:  Recognising  the  crucial  importance  of  the 
national  level  for  successful  regional  integration,  the  Commission  will  initiate  regular 
consultation on regional issues with national authorities and, in the context of the regular 
monitoring  of  the  governance  commitments  undertaken  by  the  ACP  countries,  particular 
attention  will  be  given  to  the  implementation  by  national  governments  of  their  regional 
integration commitments. 

The EU should support cross-regional exchanges of experience and possible peer reviews 
on regional integration agendas. In Africa, this exchange should include the African Union.  

In  addition,  the  EU  should  share  its  experience  with  ACP  regions  where  the  regions 
believe  it  is  most  relevant.  A  number  of  EU  policies  are  relevant:  economic  and  social 
cohesion, health, food safety, agriculture, transports, environment and energy.  

–  Broaden  the  dialogue  on  regional  integration:  the  EU  should  encourage  the  creation  of 
regional  business  forums,  and  systematically  support  the  creation  or  reinforcement  of 
regional  civil  society  forums  and  parliamentary  committees  designed  to  oversee  regional 
integration.  

The  EU  should  also  encourage  the  activities  of  academic  institutions  dedicated  to  the 
analysis  of  regional  integration  and,  in  general,  initiatives  about  monitoring  regional 
integration in ACP countries – including those related to EPAs.  

Development policy: The EU Consensus on Development in practice  

5.3. 
From 2008 to 2013, support to regional integration will be strengthened through the 10th EDF. 
EU Member States should also considerably upgrade their activities. 

5.3.1.  Combining EU efforts: Towards joint programming  

In line with aid effectiveness principles, the EU must develop a common approach to regional 
integration for development in ACP countries:  

–  The  EU  is  committed  to  joint  programming  and  joint  strategies  at  national  level.  EC 
regional  programming  should  therefore  be  the  first  step  towards  joint  EU  regional 
programming. 

–  "EU  aid  for  trade  regional  packages",  which  will  implement  the  EU  Aid  for  Trade 
Strategy including support to the implementation of the EPAs, are being designed. While 
welcoming  the  strong  commitment  of  the  Council  and  Member  States,  the  Commission 
calls  for  substantially  increased  efforts  in  order  to  deliver  these  packages  as  soon  as 
possible. 

–  ACP  regional  organisations  too  often  depend  on  contributions  from  donors.  As  the  aim 
should  be  financial  sustainability,  mobilisation  of  national  and  regional  resources  is 
crucial, in particular to support less developed countries in developing regional projects. 

–  Under the leadership of the region, the EU should strengthen its coordination with other 
development  partners  (such  as  the  international  financing  institutions  and  regional 
development banks), as long as their support is fully in line with the Paris principles.  

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5.3.2. 

Strengthened EC support 

EDF support to projects with a regional focus amounted to €3.2 billion during the period 1996 
to 2007 (8th and 9th EDF). The main area for support was sustainable development with €1.2 
billion,  followed  by  infrastructure  development  (€777  million)  and  business  development 
(€524 million).  

In the coming years, the 10th EDF regional programmes will be the primary instrument of 
EC support for ACP regional integration. While the overall EDF increased substantially from 
the 9th to the 10th EDF, the regional envelope almost doubled to € 1.78 billion, reflecting EU-
ACP consensus on the importance of regional integration for development.  
The  forthcoming  Regional  Strategy  Papers  (RSPs)  and  Regional  Indicative  Programmes6 
(RIPs), which include an analysis of the state of play of regional integration and a response 
strategy, are to serve the five main priorities outlined in section 4. They will:  

–  Provide,  in  all  regions,  support  for  regional  mechanisms  to  foster  peace  and  stability, 
prevent  and  manage  conflicts,  and  fight  security  threats  (such  as  organised  crime),  thus 
furthering a broadly-defined regional human security agenda. In West, Southern and East 
Africa, EDF support will help strengthen the regional pillar of the pan-African architecture 
of peace and security. 

–  Pay  particular  attention  to  regional  economic  integration,  with  almost  75%  of  the 

indicative appropriation (i.e. €1.3 billion) likely to be  devoted to this area. 

–  Within  the  regional  economic  integration  agenda,  focus  on  specific  regional  priorities, 
with  an  emphasis  on  the  completion  of  more  integrated  markets;  the  development  of 
productive  capacities;  and  the  improvement  of  infrastructure  networks  and  enhanced 
regional  cooperation  for  the  promotion  of  sustainable  energy  policies.  There  will  be  a 
particular  focus  on  EPA  support  measures:  almost  half  of  the  Caribbean  RIP  would  be 
allocated to their EPA commitments. 

–  Reflect  the  diversity  of  ACP  regions  in  terms  of  their  priorities  for  sustainable 
development. This applies, in particular, to the second focal sector in the Pacific (fisheries) 
and  in  Central  Africa  (forestry).  Support  for  food  security  and  agriculture  is  foreseen  in 
West Africa, and for land, water and marine resources management in East Africa. 

–  Support  good  regional  governance,  with  an  emphasis  on  capacity-building  for  non-state 

actors.  

Under the 10th EDF national programmes, more importance will be given to regional issues. 
30%  (€3.7  billion)  of  the  nati onal  envelopes  relate  to  economic  development,  with  the  bulk 
going  to  economic  infrastructure  (around  €3  b illion,  with  a  stronger  focus  on  regional 
connections)  and  a  significant  amount  of  support  to  trade  and  regional  integration  and 
production sectors, including agriculture (around € 600 million).  

The  EDF  all-ACP  envelope  will  contribute  to  further  strengthening  regional  integration  in 
cases where a cross-regional approach can add value, i.e.:  

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Commission Staff Working Paper "The Regional Strategy Papers and Indicative Programmes of the 10th 
European  Development  Fund"  (SEC(2008)  2538  of  01.10.2008).  RSPs  are  being  finalised.  The 
information  provided  here  is  without  prejudice  to  the  formal  adoption  of  the  programmes  by  the 
Commission. 

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–  Business  development:  The  EC  will  work  with  the  European  Investment  Bank  to 
strengthen the synergies between the Investment Facility (to which the EDF contributes up 
to € 3.5 billion) and the 10 th EDF RIPs.  

The  mission  and  governing  structure  of  the  Centre  for  the  Development  of  Enterprises 
(EDF support of €18 million a year on average)  should be adapted to decisively reinforce 
its efficiency and focus on supporting business in their efforts to take advantage of regional 
integration.  

–  Infrastructure  networks:  The  EU-Africa  Infrastructure  Trust  Fund  will  be  further 
supported  as  an  innovative  tool  for  the  implementation  of  the  EU-Africa  Infrastructure 
Partnership. Similar mechanisms are being considered for the Pacific and the Caribbean.  

–  Peace  and  security  in  Africa:  As  part  of  the  Joint  Africa-EU  Strategy,  the  EU  will 
continue  to  support  the  role  of  the  regional  actors  within  the  African  peace  and  security 
agenda and, in particular, through the African Peace Facility. 

The EC budget-funded programmes also have an important role to play:  

–  The  Development  Cooperation  Instrument  (thematic  programmes  on  Food  Security, 
Environment  and  Sustainable  Management  of  Natural  Resources  including  Energy,  and 
Investing  in  People)  will  provide  support  for  regional  activities  in  policy  areas  where 
catalytic or complementary support is needed in order to develop regional cooperation.  

–  The special "Facility for rapid response to soaring food prices in developing countries" 
proposed  by  the  Commission  will  also  contribute  to  supporting  regional  agricultural  and 
food security policies.  

–  The  Stability  Instrument  contributes  to  regional  stabilisation  and  peace-building 
capacities,  including  through  targeted  crisis  response  actions  and  measures  to  address 
longer-term trans-regional security threats. 

5.3.3.  A more effective method of delivery  

In order to better leverage the increased support, EU activities at programme and project level 
should become more strategic through:  

–  Gradually moving to a programme- (rather than project-) based approach.  

–  The  active  promotion  of  joint  delivery  methods,  such  as  co-financing,  delegated 
cooperation  or  pool  funds.  The  experience  of  the  EU  Trust  Fund  for  Infrastructure  in 
Africa may be seen as an example in this respect.  

–  Regionally-established Funds to which the EC and EU Member States could contribute in 
the context of EPAs and the EU Aid-for-Trade Strategy could also be the instruments to 
deliver EU and other donors' support to regional integration.  

–  Prioritising projects of a truly regional dimension, ensuring that projects and activities i) 
directly support regional priorities, ii) have a truly regional dimension, and iii) aim at the 
highest possible returns on regional growth.  

–  Strengthening  the  "regional  dimension"  at  national  level,  by  including  the  regional 

dimension more systematically in projects supported at national level.  

Special  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  necessary  accountability  and  capacity  for  effective 
implementation, with  regional organisations appropriately empowered by their member states 
to ensure sound financial management of own and donor funds, as well as to the removal of 

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absorption capacity weaknesses of regional organisations and to donors' capacity to monitor 
delivery. 

Finally,  ACP  regional  integration  should  be  supported  in  synergy  with  the  immediate 
environment of the regions. This means facilitating cooperation between African regions, for 
example through the co-financing of relevant projects by two or more RIPs. This also includes 
encouraging cooperation between ACP regions, EU outermost regions and the EU Overseas 
Countries and Territories (OCTs), where potential remains for increased regional synergies7. 

5.4. 

Trade policy: A changing paradigm in a changing global environment 

5.4.1.  The Economic Partnership Agreements  

A comprehensive regional EPA has been concluded with the fifteen CARIFORUM countries, 
while in the other ACP regions, the EU and its partners remain firmly committed to achieve, 
with all countries of a region, comprehensive EPAs which i.a. include provisions on services 
and investment and a set of regional trade-related rules that is as comprehensive as possible.  

Comprehensive  regional  EPAs  are  a  key  instrument  in  the  ACP-EU  partnership  to  foster 
regional integration. They will help implementing integration schemes, consolidating regional 
markets  and  strengthening  sound  economic  governance  policies  by  anchoring  them  in  a 
partnership with the EU. In particular, regional EPAs will:  

–  Foster  the  effective  implementation  of  regional  trade-in-goods  commitments  by 
supporting existing or planned trade integration projects, including the necessary customs 
reforms.  

–  Expand regional trade in services and promote investment within the region and with the 
EU (where regions choose to include these issues in the EPA) through  more  transparent, 
stable and development-friendly regional rules. 

–  Consolidate  a  set  of  regional  trade-related  rules  by  addressing  important  regulatory 
issues, such as trade facilitation, TBTs and SPS. Where the region is ready, commitments 
and  cooperation  on  competition,  intellectual  property,  social  and  environmental  aspects, 
and  public  procurement  rules,  will  improve  development  and  business  conditions  at  the 
national and regional levels.  

EPAs  entail  reforms  at  regional  and  national  levels  and  contain  detailed  development 
cooperation provisions that commit the EU to support these EPA-related reforms in order to 
maximise  the  benefits  and  minimise  the  costs  of  the  new  trade  regime  between  the  ACP 
regions and the EU.  

Concerns and outstanding problematic issues expressed by ACP partners will be addressed in 
a  flexible  way,  consistent  with  international  trade  rules  and  ensuring  that  progress  is  made 
towards full regional EPAs. The different needs, levels of development of the ACP countries 
and stages of existing regional integration processes will be taken into account, as EPAs need 
to build upon and foster existing regional integration processes. In particular, differentiation 
in regional integration processes may well result in variable geometry within the EPA.  

7 

Commission Green Paper on the future of EU-OCT relations, COM (2008) 383 final of 25.06.2008 and 
Commission  Communication  on  Strategies  for  the  Outermost  Regions:  achievements  and  prospects, 
COM(2007) 507 final of 12.09.2007. 

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5.4.2.  Other trade policy challenges in ACP countries 

ACP  countries  face  other  trade  policy  challenges  that  should  also  be  integrated  in  the  EU-
ACP partnership:  

–  The  interplay  between  regionalism  and  multilateralism:  The  EU  should  reaffirm  that 
regional  openness  needs  to  be  carefully  designed  so  as  to  maximise  its  development 
impact.  In  addition,  national  engagement  with  regional  integration  will  need  to  face 
challenges such as the current food prices crisis, with policy solutions needed at regional 
level rather than in national decisions that jeopardise regional commitments.  

–  The  rationalisation  of  trade  integration  agendas  in  Africa:  The  African  Union  has 
launched  a  rationalisation  exercise  with  the aim  of  facilitating  the  long-term  objective  of 
continental  integration.  The  EU  should  support  a  rationalisation  exercise  that  strengthens 
the  building  blocks  of  an  eventual  single  economic  African  entity,  while  seeking  to 
minimise barriers to trade between African regions. In the context of the Joint EU-Africa 
Strategy, the EU will cooperate with the African Union and its Commission to that end.  

6. 

CONCLUSION 

Regional integration should become a fundamental tenet of EU development policy and EU-
ACP  relations.  It  is  an  essential  vehicle  for  more  political  stability.  It  is  a  vehicle  for 
accelerated  growth  through  coordinated  structural  reforms  and  gradual  trade  opening. 
Regional integration is therefore an essential driver for reaching the Millenium Development 
Goal of reducing poverty in ACP regions. 

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