Does EBA improve good governance in sub-Saharan Africa?

The contribution analyses the impact of the EU’s ‘Everything But Arms’ (EBA) initiative on good governance in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Good governance is part of the requirements for admission to EBA. The question is whether EBA has created incentives for partner countries to improve their level of good governance. The article shows that few EBA countries have improved their governance structures and that the EU does not threaten sanctions for non-compliance with conditionality. Those countries that have improved their governance have diversified export structures and a middle class that can demand reforms. The design of EBA should therefore be more focused on export diversification and strengthening the middle class.