EU to sign interim EPA with EAC

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-18 03:35

The EU is expecting to sign and ratify the interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs) with the East Africa Community (EAC) in the near future, Xinhua learned on Thursday.

The EU Delegation's advisor for trade and regional integration in Tanzania Stefan Schleuning recently said that the EU and EAC have not yet signed and ratified the interim-EPA, initialed in November 2007 and is being provisionally applied as from January 1, 2008.

Both parties are hopeful that the remaining outstanding issues, such as the most-favored nation clause, can be solved in the foreseeable future, Schleuning added.

The non signature by July 30 has no immediate impact on its application and on export from any EAC country to EU, which means that products from Tanzania to EU continue to enjoy duty and quota free access, according to Schleuning.

He also stressed the importance of an early signature of the interim-EPA for both sides to fully honor their WTO commitments.

Schleuning added that the interim-EPA covers only three issues; trade in goods, rules of origin and fisheries, designed to make sure that there would not be any disruption on exports from EAC countries to the EU after the expiry of the Cotonou agreement in December 2007.

As a result, the interim-EPA does not include provisions on trade in services and other trade related issues such as investment, competition and government procurement, he added.

Meanwhile, the EU and EAC have started negotiations for a so- called comprehensive-EPA which could provide on trade services, investment, competition and government procurement .