SACU talks progressing
The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) has completed another round of discussions on the union’s trade negotiating agenda.
The five member states -- Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa -- met in Walvis Bay last week, the SACU secretariat said in a statement on Monday.
The meeting, attended by trade ministers and senior officials, reviewed and discussed SACU’s ongoing engagement in trade negotiations with various third parties.
t was aimed at consolidating negotiation positions, developing work programmes for SACU’s ongoing and future trade negotiations, and agreeing on time-frames for future trade consultations.
“The SACU members states joint consultations on trade negotiations have been an important part of SACU trade negotiations in the past, and will in future remain a prominent item on the SACU agenda,” the secretariat said.
Several sets of negotiations were on SACU’s agenda, including the resumption of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Doha round of negotiations, which stalled in July 2006.
Others were the Southern African Community Development economic partnership agreement (EPA), negotiations with the European Union, ongoing SACU negotiations to finalise a preferential trade agreement (PTA) between SACU and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), discussions with the United States on a possible trade, investment and development cooperation agreement, and the envisaged trade negotiations with India and SACU’s trade liberalisation commitments under the SADC Trade Protocol.
Under a 2002 SACU Agreement, member states agreed to negotiate future trade agreements with third parties as a block.
Thus, last week’s discussions included the development of a common trade negotiating mechanism for SACU.
The meetings also deliberated on progress with establishing the SACU national bodies, SACU Tariff Board and SACU Tribunal -- three important institutions necessary to fully implement the SACU 2002 agreement.
SACU, as a bloc, had already successfully negotiated in the SADC Trade Protocol talks, signed a PTA with MERCOSUR -- comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay -- and a free trade agreement with EFTA, consisting of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
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The five member states -- Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa -- met in Walvis Bay last week, the SACU secretariat said in a statement on Monday.
The meeting, attended by trade ministers and senior officials, reviewed and discussed SACU’s ongoing engagement in trade negotiations with various third parties.
t was aimed at consolidating negotiation positions, developing work programmes for SACU’s ongoing and future trade negotiations, and agreeing on time-frames for future trade consultations.
“The SACU members states joint consultations on trade negotiations have been an important part of SACU trade negotiations in the past, and will in future remain a prominent item on the SACU agenda,” the secretariat said.
Several sets of negotiations were on SACU’s agenda, including the resumption of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Doha round of negotiations, which stalled in July 2006.
Others were the Southern African Community Development economic partnership agreement (EPA), negotiations with the European Union, ongoing SACU negotiations to finalise a preferential trade agreement (PTA) between SACU and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), discussions with the United States on a possible trade, investment and development cooperation agreement, and the envisaged trade negotiations with India and SACU’s trade liberalisation commitments under the SADC Trade Protocol.
Under a 2002 SACU Agreement, member states agreed to negotiate future trade agreements with third parties as a block.
Thus, last week’s discussions included the development of a common trade negotiating mechanism for SACU.
The meetings also deliberated on progress with establishing the SACU national bodies, SACU Tariff Board and SACU Tribunal -- three important institutions necessary to fully implement the SACU 2002 agreement.
SACU, as a bloc, had already successfully negotiated in the SADC Trade Protocol talks, signed a PTA with MERCOSUR -- comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay -- and a free trade agreement with EFTA, consisting of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
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