“Migration is very emotional, having to do with ideas of citizenship and how society is organized. I guess Member states do not mind if a bunch of technically minded nerds do tariffs for them” (EU Commission, DG Trade staff, Brussels).
.
From this, it is concluded that the inter-regional
cooperation between the EU and the ECOWAS bares huge potential to mitigate the
underlying socio-economic challenges that both regions experience. This in turn
could indirectly transform the inter-regional migration dynamics. This research
reveals that the potential of inter-regional cooperation to change the
prevailing migration patterns is not to be sought with political migration
policy frameworks. Rather, as a result of the particular economic character of
inter-regional migration, and the strong trade mandate of the two regional
bodies, potential lays in the area of economic policies.
The ongoing trade negotiations
between the regions still have to overtake numerous hurdles in order to set up
the framework, which could guide the future trade relations between the
regions. From this, a number of policy recommendations can be derived:
·
Up to date, the EU predominantly used the trade
in service regulative framework, in particular to enable the strong European
skilled service sector access to foreign markets. EU policy makers should
assess how to possibly incorporate the service dimension under Mode 4 (the
movement of natural persons), in the EPAs with the ECOWAS, as a tool to respond
to sector specific labor demands of European labor markets (e.g. construction).
Here, they should incorporate the peculiar labor needs of West African
societies.
·
The major focus of the EPAs has been allocated
to the development dimension of a safe and stable investment climate. While
this is a pivotal precondition to sound trade relations, the unproportional
focus on the development dimension left aside the actual initiation of trade,
investment and technology transfer. EU policy makers should use the EPA
framework as a means to stimulate trade and investment with especially the
small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, which is the heart of both, the
European and the West African economies.
·
European national governments play a central
role in this. National economic policies should incorporate the communication
of the trade and investment opportunities within the West African region, especially
towards the European SME sector. It is
this sector which is flexible and can respond within a relatively short period
of time to investment opportunities in a widely unknown market such as the West
African market.
·
The EPAs have often been communicated as an EU
tool to exploit its respective trade partners. Certain asymmetric negotiation dynamics may potentially favor unequal
agreements. However, ECOWAS policy makers should proactively use the EPAs as an
opportunity to promote their own interests as in the immense potential of the
West African economy, in particular its dominating SME sector, in order to
attract international investors and stimulate trade.
·
Both
the ECOWAS and West African governments have to comprehend that the limited
space at hand of the EU and European governments on migration policies is
mainly electoral. Therefore, ECOWAS policy makers should use the trade in
service dimension as an opportunity. They should assess the potential that the
provisions under Mode 4 have with regard to playing out their comparative
advantage of abundant, cheap and increasingly well educated labor forces.
·
West
African governments play a pivotal role in this. With the implementation of
policy frameworks on trade, investment and technology transfer, they should keep
in focus that these are not ends in themselves but rather a means to bring
about socio-economic prosperity to the entirety of the West African society.
>>> read Part I. of I./II./III./IV./V./VI. <<<
>>> read Part I. of I./II./III./IV./V./VI. <<<
*picture original ehow.com