EAC TO CONCLUDE EPAs WITH EUROPEAN UNION AS A BLOC
EAC Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, Friday 12th October 2007
As per the provisions of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community (EAC), the EAC Heads of State in their Summit of April 2002 took a decision that in all multi-lateral issues, EAC shall negotiate as a bloc. At their 6th Extraordinary Summit of 20th August 2007, the Heads of State further reiterated this position and in particular directed that EAC sign Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) as a bloc.
Following this Summit directive and taking into account the limited time frame during which all the EPA Configurations should conclude their negotiations so as to ensure that trade between the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and EU is not disrupted after January 2008, the EAC Ministers of Trade met in Nairobi, Kenya on 11th October 2007 and endorsed recommendations of the EAC Expert Working Group that in order to comply with the Summit directive, the EAC Partner States will harmonize and adopt a common market access proposals that will be tabled in both Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA)-EPA and Southern African Development Community (SADC)-EPA Configurations respectively.
This harmonized common market access proposals takes into account that EAC Customs Union provisions will be protected and promoted and that it will provide scope for the necessary negotiations space for EAC Partner States and the European Union. The EAC Partner States will also present this harmonized EAC-EPA text as the common text to be finally agreed upon with the EU.
The harmonization of the EAC proposals includes sensitive lists, tariff phase down period, trade defence instruments and the rules of origin. The Ministers were further unanimous that the issue of development needs should be uploaded into the current EPA negotiations framework in order to address the supply side constraints. This development issues should be leveraged with clear benchmarks and budgeted priorities so as to establish a clear and long term partnership.
In adopting this parallel approach, the EAC will ensure that its harmonized common proposals will be part of the negotiating process in both ESA-EPA and SADC-EPA configuration negotiations.
The Ministers of Trade also directed that the EAC Secretariat should fully participate and be engaged in all the remaining ESA-EPA and SADC-EPA negotiations, as well as the Ministerial negotiations with the EU in Brussels.
The EAC shall be holding consultative workshops with all the key stakeholders to ensure that the economic, social and political interests of the people of East Africa are brought on board during the negotiations.
The EAC Ministers that attended the Nairobi meeting included: Hon. George Nelson Gagawala Wambuzi, Minister of State for Tourism, Trade and Industry of the Republic of Uganda (Chair); Hon. Basil Mramba, Minister of Trade and Marketing of the United Republic of Tanzania; Hon. Mukisa Kituyi, Minister of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Kenya; and Hon. Mitaili Protais, Minister of Commerce, Industry, Investment Promotion, Tourism and Cooperatives of the Republic of Rwanda.
