Blog - tralac trade law centre

Does Rand Depreciation Help South Africa’s Exports?

John Stuart

- 13 Aug 2018

In the 1930s, before the era of floating exchange rates, countries would try to gain a competitive advantage for their exports by means of ‘competitive devaluation’. This practice refers...

2018 SADC Summit – Promoting Infrastructure Development and Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development

Trudi Hartzenberg, Gerhard Erasmus

- 13 Aug 2018

The 38th Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will take place 17th to 18th August 2018 in Namibia. The occasion of the...

AGOA Forum 2018 outcomes: where to for a future bilateral trade relationship between the United States and Africa?

Eckart Naumann

- 31 Jul 2018

Earlier in July 2018 the annual United States – Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum (“AGOA Forum”) drew to a conclusion in Washington, D.C. This annual event,...

SADC EPA Trade Defense Mechanisms

Gerhard Erasmus

- 31 Jul 2018

The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) EPA Group [1] is a WTO compatible Free Trade Agreement (FTA) for...

The Settlement of Disputes under the SADC EPA

Gerhard Erasmus

- 31 Jul 2018

African states are not known for instituting formal dispute settlement proceedings about the violation of trade agreements. They never do so amongst themselves and very seldom vis-à-vis...

Is Brexit now in the Emergency Ward?

Gerhard Erasmus

- 31 Jul 2018

Brexit is due to happen on 29 March 2019 but there is no agreement yet on how the future relationship between the UK and the EU (the UK’s most important trading partner) will work. The...

Exceptions in the SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement

Gerhard Erasmus

- 31 Jul 2018

Part IV of the SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement contains certain General Exceptions to the non-discrimination principle in the MFN and national treatment rules. Exceptions are...

Implementing the AfCFTA: When and How?

Gerhard Erasmus

- 30 Jul 2018

The implementation of international agreements is about achieving the objectives agreed upon. For trade agreements implementation is ultimately about ensuring active private sector...

Engaging with the international e-commerce trade agenda for structural transformation in Africa

Ashly Hope

- 30 Jul 2018

E-commerce can be an important contributor to Africa’s structural transformation. E-commerce is not just about online shopping. E-commerce is variously defined as the purchase and sale of...

Trump’s Trade War: Are the Brakes failing?

Gerhard Erasmus

- 27 Jun 2018

It is claimed that the United States of America has the oldest written constitution in the world which is still in use. It was carefully crafted, through a system of checks and balances...

AfCFTA negotiations after Kigali – keeping an eye on the end game

Trudi Hartzenberg

- 20 Jun 2018

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) negotiations took an important step forward in early June, as the African Union (AU) Ministers of Trade adopted the legally scrubbed...

Is the AfCFTA a Legal Person? Does it matter?

Gerhard Erasmus

- 19 Jun 2018

International organizations can be (and often are) subjects of international law. Whereas States possess the totality of international rights and duties recognized by international law...

How might Africa benefit from e-commerce technology?

John Stuart

- 19 Jun 2018

World trade has entered a new mode; one that is to international trade what the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ is to traditional manufacturing. Digital tools now make it possible for a...