This Briefing Paper reviews the recently signed Lomé II Convention between the European Communities (EEC) and 58 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The paper reviews the negotiating process, compares the new convention with its predecessor, assesses its impact on the ACP countries in the 1980s, and sets the EEC-ACP relationship in the wider context of rich country relations with the developing world. The paper notes the special nature of Lomé as well as the limitations of the new convention. It claims that, apart from a new lending device to support ACP mineral production and an inconclusive agreement on non-discriminatory investment codes, Lomé II broadly reproduces the main features of Lomé I.