A key issue in the talks on the fourth Lomé Convention is the demand of some Caribbean and Central American nations to join the ACP group, so as to benefit from the preferential treatment and financing facilities it enjoys. A specific concern is accession to the Sugar Protocol appended to the...

The British Government's proposal to develop the ECU gradually into a "hard" European currency has begun to be viewed in a more positive light. What principles are at the heart of this proposal? Does a "hard" ECU have advantages over the existing ECU? What are its chances as a parallel currency?