East Africa EPA delay frustrates EU
New Vision (Kampala) | 19 September 2010
East Africa EPA delay frustrates EU
By Joe Nam
THE European Union (EU) is frustrated at the slow pace of the conclusion of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the East African Community (EAC) member states.
This is contained in a statement by Harvey Rouse, the head of the political and trade section at the EU Mission to Uganda.
“The EAC-EU Framework EPA was initialled in Kampala in 2007. This agreement today remains unsigned, business is therefore in an unpredictable and uncertain environment, it is important that we put an end to this legal uncertainty,” the statement reads.
The EPA negotiations have been dogged by a number of controversial issues including the meaning of market access to the EU by EAC countries.
“The EU and EAC agreed to set up a roadmap as soon as possible for the achievement of a comprehensive EPA. The EU considered it in EAC’s interest that the five EAC countries establish a joint roadmap,” Rouse said.
“We believe that if we work hard together, we can deliver such a result by November,” he added.
But this requires commitment from both sides, the EU can not want the EPA more than the EAC,” he added.
However, a number of regional bodies including the East African Business Council and the East African Legislative Assembly have denounced the EPA in it’s current form saying it does not address East Africa’s development needs.
Business leaders have called for a re-negotiation of the whole proposed agreement that is meant to guide trade relations between the EU and African, Caribbean Pacific ACP countries.
