The Economic Partnership Agreements are a programme for the creation of a free trade area (FTA) between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States. They respond to persistent criticism that the EU`s proposed non-reciprocal and discriminatory preferential agreements are WTO-inconsistent. The EPAs date back to the signing of the Cotonou Agreement. The EPAs with the different regions are in different scores. In 2016, EPAs were to be signed with three African regional economic communities (East African Community, Economic Community of West African States and Southern African Development Community), but which faced challenges. [1] [needs to be updated] Antoine Parisi, Chief Executive Officer of Europ Assistance, said: “Crédit Agricole Assurances is well known for the importance it attaches to the quality of service. The fact that he has chosen Europ Assistance to serve his customers in their moments of distress is an important sign of confidence in Europ Assistance employees, who have made quality of service their priority. This partnership between our two groups also reflects our shared values, which focus on caring for people. Crédit Agricole Assurances and Europ Assistance have signed a partnership which, in January 2021, will lead Crédit Agricole Assurances` non-life subsidiaries, Pacifica, to take a 50% stake in the capital of Europ Assistance France, the main service company that will unlock Europ Assistance`s expertise and resources on the French market. Because of the continuing incompatibility of previous agreements with the WTO, EPAs are primarily their reciprocity and non-discriminatory nature.

These include the phasing out of all trade preferences established since 1975 between the EU and the ACP countries and the gradual elimination of barriers to trade between partners. In order to meet the criterion of a non-discriminatory agreement, epAs are open to all developing countries, thus putting an effective end to the ACP group as the EU`s main development partner. On the occasion of this partnership, Crédit Agricole Assurances and Europ Assistance confirm that Europ Assistance France`s priority strategy will be to serve existing and future external customers with the degree of excellence that has always been part of its DNA. “We are convinced that the management of Europ Assistance France can make this partnership a success and develop activities in all market segments. Support services evolve and adapt to customer expectations by developing new services, both to deal with emergency situations and on demand. The know-how and quality of its services make Europ Assistance France an ideal partner to achieve crédit Agricole Group`s customer service and customer relationship objectives. We will remain very committed to ensuring that this partnership continues over the long term in order to serve clients outside the Crédit Agricole Group,” said Thierry Langreney, Deputy CEO of Crédit Agricole Assurances and CEO of Pacifica. This is why the EPAs provide for special regimes for this specific group. Unlike other ACP countries, the group of least developed countries is called upon to reject the EPAs and continue trade relations under the Everything But Arms (EBA) Regulation. This amendment to the EC`s Generalised System of Preferences, launched by the Council of Ministers in 2001, has since regulated trade relations between the EU and the least developed countries that have opted for this possibility and gives duty-free access to all products from the least developed countries without quantitative restrictions, with the exception of weapons and ammunition. This provision, while facilitating the situation of least developed countries under the new trade regime, has also been criticised because the EBA initiative prevents least developed countries from opening their markets to EU products under an EPA. .

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