Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), including farmers, workers, women’s, faith-based and students’ groups and organizations, have issued a statement declaring that it is clear more than ever, that the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are Europe’s means of locking-in the fundamentally unequal relationships between Africa and Europe. Viewed from Africa, this is nothing less than, “re-colonisation.”

From December 7th to 9th, more than 70 European and African leaders met in Lisbon, Portugal, to attend the EU-Africa Summit. Seven years after the Cairo summit, the Lisbon event ended with an ambitious action plan and a promise to meet again in 2010, but wasn’t able to tackle key issues such as Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) and human rights.