South Centre Policy Brief 15, December 2008.

The ability of governments to procure from firms of its own choice can be an important development tool and can also be an instrument for macroeconomic management. Providing preferences to local producers of goods and suppliers of services and set-asides may be part of an industrial policy or an instrument to attain social objectives and can have immense implications for national development, local business and job creation.

This Policy Brief analyses the scope of international trade rules governing government procurement in the European Union’s Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with developing countries, the key provisions of EPAs regarding this topic and its potential implications for development.

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