From Antagonism to Re-engagement

The book interrogates the European Union (EU)-Zimbabwe Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations covering trade in goods and trade-related development cooperation rules. Meanwhile EU-Zimbabwe trade relations reflected the changing motives of the former as the dominant development partner and extreme ideological division within the Zimbabwe non-state actors as well as exposing state-stakeholder fault-lines. Notwithstanding the above Zimbabwe signed and ratified an asymmetrical interim EPA in 2009 and 2012 respectively. However ZANU (PF) landslide victory on 31 July 2013 altered the power balance sufficiently to trigger the process of bilateral re-engagement with the EU. Both parties significantly softened resulting in the signing of an agreement in July 2015 to normalise bilateral relations and start cooperation. This re-engagement has the full backing of EU member states.