EPA talks between EAC and EU set to resume
Posted on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 by Tarimo, Judica (The Guardian) in NewsProtected negotiations on comprehensive Economic Parntership Agreements (EPA) between the East African Community (EAC) member countries and the European Union (EU) are expected to restart in the next two or three months, and probably be concluded within this year.
Speaking in a telephone interview, Industry and Trade deputy minister Lazaro Nyalandu, told The Guardian yesterday that progress on the EPA talks between the two blocks (EAC and EU) was impressive and that both parties were still packaging their issues ready for the next round of discussions.
The next round of EAC-EU EPA discussions are scheduled for the first or second quarter of this year, and probably be concluded this year, according to the minister.
“Otherwise, EPA negotiations are now at an advanced stage…and last discussions held in Brussels, Belgium, were very good as the parties agreed on certain issues and put on hold others for the next round of discussions,” said Nyalandu in the wake of increasing concerns over the delayed conclusion of talks on comprehensive EPA.
Impeccable sources in the ministry told this paper last year that the EPA negotiations had stalled because of many factors, mainly financial constraints on the part of the EAC partners.
The deputy industry minister admitted yesterday that “it is true that negotiations have been slow for quite some time, but there are reasons for that.”
He explained that there were numerous changes in key issues (which form the basis of negotiations), on the part of the EAC bloc which needed to be consolidated and later on incorporated in “our discussions on comprehensive EPA with EU.”
“There were additional concerns in the regional bloc which cannot be ignored in the course of the EPA discussions. That’s why we put on hold these discussions and sort out these additional concerns and later on move forward,” said Nyarandu.
He mentioned the key additional regional concerns as operationalization of the EAC Customs union, monetary union, and new membership of South Sudan. There were also several changes which occurred in the region’s trade partners, including Uganda’s joining of oil producing countries, and the expected listing of Tanzania in a group of countries with abundant natural gas.
The above dynamics and changes on modalities of trade and related operations, according to the minister, must be sorted out clearly by EAC partners before moving to the EPA negotiations with EU.
“We want to make sure that operationalization of EAC Custom Union is smooth…interests of incoming new member, South Sudan, are also considered in the EPA negotiations,” said Nyalandu, noting that “at the moment, we are consolidating these dynamics after which we will go to the EPA discussions with a single package of issues.”
