BRIEF ON THE 3rd DRAFT OF ESA SENSITIVE PRODUCTS
PREPARED FOR THE 11TH RNF Nairobi 2007
PDF - 3 pages
The 3rd draft of the ESA Sensitive Products now presented before you as an annex is a summation of national submissions from the following 12 member states : Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The list constitutes of 2,756 international six digit tariff lines out of a possible 5115 total six digit tariff lines using Harmonized System HS1996. The COMESA Common External Tariff (CET) and COMESA Common Tariff nomenclature (CTN) is based on HS2002.
Recommendations from the Dedicated Session/Way forward
PDF - 3 pages
The 3rd draft of the ESA Sensitive Products now presented before you as an annex is a summation of national submissions from the following 12 member states : Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The list constitutes of 2,756 international six digit tariff lines out of a possible 5115 total six digit tariff lines using Harmonized System HS1996. The COMESA Common External Tariff (CET) and COMESA Common Tariff nomenclature (CTN) is based on HS2002.
Recommendations from the Dedicated Session/Way forward
- The EPA process to enhance COMESA regional integration by impressing upon the need to fastrack the conclusion of the COMESA CTN and CET as this has a very strong bearing on the ESA exclusion list.
- A special appeal be made for member states with longer lists of Sensitive Products to place their products into sensitivity priority baskets or trim their list in total before ESA engages the EC on negotiations of “substantially all trade coverage”. The less sensitive products in the national submissions become the candidates for delayed phase-down in the transitional period.
- Member states could agree on a quota system for products that were selected by individual member states to allow for unique national sensitivities but still maintain the desired product coverage.
- ESA to negotiate with EC the “transitional period” simultaneously with the “substantial trade coverage” as a long transitional period could reduce the regional list of sensitive products or vice visa.
- Member States to review their lists and the list of others to ensure that their own developmental interests are not prejudiced. Effort is needed from Member States to further trim their sensitive list.