Kenya: EU delegate backs EPA talks with 16 countries

The European Union has defended the on-going Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) negotiations with 16 east and southern African countries. EU head of delegation to Kenya, Eric Van der Linden, has urged African policy makers to view the talks as a trade and development tool. "The EPAs are the only means of maintaining the long standing relationship with the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries dating back to the Lome conventions," Van der Linden told negotiators from the region meeting in Nairobi. Under the Lome Convention, 79 former colonies of major European countries enjoy preferential access to the EU market.