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Namibia: No EPA deal on Swakop issues
5-Jul-2009 The Namibian
The European Union has not agreed to include trade concessions made at the Swakopmund negotiations in the interim economic partnership agreement, but intends to look at the rules of origin provisions to prevent the breakup of the Southern African Customs Unions
Namibia: Trade Impasse - EU Hits Back
27-Jun-2009 The Namibian
The European Commission (EC) has lashed out at Namibia’s Trade and Industry Minister Hage Geingob, claiming he knew all along that they would not give written assurances on the concessions on infant industry protection, food security, export taxes and the free flow of goods agreed to in the interim economic partnership agreement (EPA) negotiations.
EPA October deadline may be missed
26-Jun-2009 GNA
Dr Cheikh Tidiane Dieye, Trade Programme Co-ordinator for Civil Society Organizations in West Africa, is sure that negotiations would probably continue till January 2010 since both the EU and ECOWAS had not agreed on the percentage of the market they intend to be liberalized.
Deny neoliberal consensus
26-Jun-2009 IPS
Right now, the EU’s EPAs are devastating Africa’s regional economic blocs through divide-and-conquer, reversing the resistance we saw from African countries a year ago.
West Africa: Regional EPA targets October
26-Jun-2009 AllAfrica.com
The European Union and the West African countries have agreed to conclude a regional agreement on trade in goods and development cooperation by October 2009.
Geingob sheds light on EPAs
24-Jun-2009 New Era
The Minister of Trade and Industry Dr Hage Geingob yesterday provided rare behind-the-scene reasons that have kept the protracted Economic Partnership Agreement between Namibia and the European Union from being concluded despite months of negotiations.
EPA: EU bows to pressure, moves deadline
22-Jun-2009 This Day
The European Union may have bowed to pressure from Nigeria and other African Caribbean and Pacific countries by shifting the commencement of the controversial Economic Partnership Agreement from the June 30 deadline to October 2009.
’South Africa has no right’
11-Jun-2009 Swazi Observer
South Africa has no right to enforce ’punishment’ on the other Southern African Customs Union members for signing an interim economic partnership agreement with the European Union, an economist says.
EU signs interim trade deal with 3 S African countries
8-Jun-2009 Xinhua
The European Union signed an interim trade deal on Thursday with the Southern African countries of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.
Europe’s abusive EPA condemned as it tears Africa apart
5-Jun-2009 Afrik.com
Now, Africans are hitting back at Europe
Economic Partnership Agreements: EU and Southern African countries sign interim deal
5-Jun-2009 Europa
The European Union signed an interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on 4 June 2009 with Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. Mozambique has signalled its intention to sign this agreement in the near future, but its trade minister was unable to come to Brussels today.
Namibia: ’You Can’t Smoke Cigars in Brussels and Bulldoze Us’
2-Jun-2009 IPS
Namibia will sign an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) when the outstanding contentious issues have been resolved through new wording in the texts of the interim EPA, says the country’s trade and industry minister Hage Geingob.
Another shift in deadline
1-Jun-2009 Vanguard
Nigeria has expressed doubts about its readiness to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) this month with the European Union (EU).
Southern Africa still kicking against controversial EPA
29-May-2009 IPS
High-level talks at a Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) meeting in Gaborone last week failed to produce an agreement on the signing of the interim economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union.
EPA lessons and Canadian FTA
27-May-2009 Norman Girvan
Lessons from the EU-Caribbean FTA negotiating process in view of a possible Canada-CARICOM FTA, by Norman Girvan
ECOWAS, EU free trade agreement on a cliff hanger
27-May-2009 The Guardian
There were strong indications last week that the free trade agreement between Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union may not be signed before its subsisting deadline-June 30th 2009 because of the need to protect the collective regional interest of ECOWAS States.
Guyana’s opposition to Economic Partnership Agreement leads to loss of 6M Euros
25-May-2009 KNews
It is a ‘striking’ coincidence that most of the difficulties encountered in the implementation of European Union budget support came shortly after Guyana adopted a position that was critical of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), according to the government
ECOWAS gives fresh terms for free trade with EU
20-May-2009 Guardian
Forty days to the June 30, 2009 signing of the free trade agreement between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union (EU), the sub-Saharan bloc has raised fresh issues that need to be resolved before the pact is sealed.
EU Keen on Namibian EPA
12-May-2009
The European Union says it looks forward to concluding an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Namibia and other countries in the SADC-EPA region.
Mills criticises Economic Partnership Agreement
12-May-2009
The President, John Evans Atta Mills has criticised certain clauses in the Draft Economic Partnership Agreement claiming it is meant to allow European countries dump their cheap and highly subsidised goods and services on Ghana.