Brussels, 14/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - After visiting Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire, Karel De Gucht was due to complete his latest African tour in South Africa on Thursday 14 November. The objective of this tour was to speed up progress in the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations with the EU and prepare the WTO ministerial conference at Bali, in December, at trade facilitation will be a major topic of debate. The commissioner's visit to three African regions in three days (11-14 November) and southern Africa twice in three months, really has been a marathon. Time is short because the countries and regions in the ACP group (Africa/Caribbean/Pacific) negotiating these gradual trade liberalisation agreements have until 1 October 2014 to ratify them. If they are not ratified, countries that are not LDCs will lose their preferential quota and duty-free access to the European market.
In South Africa, the country with links to the EU through a bilateral trade, development and cooperation agreement, De Gucht is expected to meet the minister for trade, Rob Davies and business leaders in an effort to push forward the conclusion of the regional EPA with the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) of which Kenya, Namibia and Botswana, which the Commissioner visited in July (see EUROPE 10887), Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland are also members. An agreement on a revised offer on access of agricultural products to the market will be decisive factor on achieving a conclusive result. South Africa has agreed to negotiate an agreement on geographical indications, services and investment.
In Cameroon, despite the discontent of business leaders and civil society, fiercely opposed to an EPA, which they believe would mean economic suicide, De Gucht was able to obtain confirmation that the government was prepared to ratify the interim agreement signed in 2009. Negotiations are expected to continue for the conclusion of an EPA with the whole of the central African region.
In Côte d'Ivoire, the only western African country to have signed an interim EPA, in November 2008, the commissioner held meetings with government and private sector representatives. He also had a work session on the country's economic recovery. Negotiations with the whole region will resume shortly and the commissioner is in more optimistic mood, after ECOWAS heads of state and governments made a commitment on 29 October in Dakar to conclude an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that is “fair and development-orientated” (see EUROPE 10953). (AN/transl.fl)