EU cautions Ghana against failing to sign full EPA

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The European Union says Ghana might have itself to blame if the country fails to sign the full Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) by next year.

The country now has until October 2014 to sign the full pact.

EU currently absorbs about 60 percent of Ghana's exports.

The EU Commissioner for Agric and Rural Development, Dacian CioloÅŸ tells Joy Business claims of some arm twisting tactics by Europe to force Ghana to sign the pact are unfortunate.

“Together with West Africa, the European Commission 2003 or 2004 decided to do this agreement. So it was a commitment from West Africa and from European Commission to work together in order to agree on this partnership agreement.

“But ten years after, we are still discussing, so now the European Union just want to know whether the agreement, after ten years, is still valuable or not. But it is not oppression.”

However, opponents of EPA, largely civil society groups, say signing the agreement would lead to collapse of local industries.

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