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International Agreements in Progress: Economic Partnership Agreement with Kenya (East African Community)
On 18 December 2023, the EU and Kenya signed an economic partnership agreement (EPA). The European Parliament has to give its consent for it to enter fully into force. The EU Kenya EPA will immediately provide duty-free, quota-free EU market access to all exports from Kenya, combined with a partial and gradual opening of the Kenyan market to imports from the EU. The text of the agreement includes binding provisions on trade and sustainable development, and a transparent dispute resolution mechanism ...
International Agreements in Progress: Economic Partnership Agreement with the East African Community
The current partnership between sub-Saharan African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP) and the EU (the Cotonou Partnership Agreement) has a provision making it possible for the EU to negotiate different economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with regional ACP sub-groups. This provision was needed for the partnership to be aligned with the World Trade Organization's rules. Negotiations for an EPA with the partner states of the East African Community (EAC) – at the time: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania ...
International Agreements in Progress: Economic Partnership Agreement with the East African Community
The current ACP-EU Partnership Agreement (the 'Cotonou Partnership Agreement') features a provision making it possible for the EU to negotiate different economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with regional ACP sub-groups. This provision was needed for the partnership to be brought into compliance with the World Trade Organization's rules. Negotiations for an EPA with the members of the East African Community (EAC) – at the time: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda – were finalised in October ...
Export Taxes and Other Restrictions on Raw Materials and their Limitation through Free Trade Agreements: Impact on Developing Countries
Export taxes and restrictions take various forms and their effects may not be limited to the countries that apply them. Developing countries use such export taxes and restrictions in pursuit of development policy objectives. The effects on third countries depend on the market power of the country applying them and the nature of the restriction or tax. Large developing and emerging economies are the main users of these types of instruments, which are often used to counter the distortions due to tariff ...
International cooperation in Africa
Inspired by the idea of pan-African solidarity and unity, the countries of Africa have established a multi-layered architecture for cooperation and integration. At its heart is a pancontinental organisation with a broad mandate – the African Union. At subcontinental level, a total of eight regional economic communities (RECs), with overlapping memberships in a number of cases, have been officially recognised by the African Union as pillars of economic integration.
The Tripartite Free Trade Area project: Integration in southern and eastern Africa
The African continent could soon witness an important milestone on its path towards economic integration with the completion of the Tripartite Free Trade Area covering 26 countries and representing more than half the continent's gross domestic product (GDP). The establishment of this area would be the logical consequence of integration efforts in three regional economic communities in the eastern and southern parts of the continent, which have already concluded preferential trade agreements with ...
African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries' Position on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAS)
After twelve years, Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) negotiations between African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the EU continue to drag on, as many contentious issues remain pending. The decision by the EU to remove their unilateral trade preferences by 1 October 2014 for countries that have not signed or ratified the EPAs is now creating tremendous pressure and tension in various countries and subregions. In particular, African countries are caught in the dilemma of losing their ...