Abstract

The African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group, established in June 1975 by the Georgetown Agreement, was generally seen as an emanation of the European Union (EU). This article presents a non-EU-centric perspective by discussing various initiatives aimed at fostering intra-ACP cooperation and promoting common ACP positions in international settings. Furthermore, it analyses various threats to the survival of the ACP Group, some linked to its allegedly ineffective performance as an organisation, others related to the rise of competitors, most notably the African Union. Importantly, it delves into the reform process that culminated in the adoption of the revised Georgetown Agreement in December 2019, which transformed the ACP Group into the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), with the aim of establishing it as a relevant and influential global actor and reducing its dependence on the EU. In revisiting the evolution of the OACPS, this article identifies an intentions–capability gap, specifically between the often grandiose statements of official discourse and the institutional and financial resources devoted to implementing stated objectives.

摘要

非洲、加勒比和太平洋 (ACP) 集团于 1975 年 6 月根据乔治敦协定成立，通常被视为欧盟 (EU) 的一个分支。本文通过讨论旨在促进 ACP 内部合作和促进 ACP 在国际环境中的共同立场的各种举措，提出了一个非以欧盟为中心的观点。此外，它还分析了 ACP 集团生存面临的各种威胁，其中一些与其组织的低效表现有关，另一些则与竞争对手的崛起有关，尤其是非洲联盟。重要的是，它深入探讨了改革进程，最终于 2019 年 12 月通过了经修订的乔治城协议，该协议将 ACP 集团转变为非洲、加勒比和太平洋国家组织 (OACPS)，目的是将其确立为具有相关性和影响力的全球参与者，并减少其对欧盟的依赖。在重新审视 OACPS 的演变过程中，本文确定了意图与能力之间的差距，特别是在官方话语经常浮夸的声明与致力于实现既定目标的机构和财政资源之间。