Directorate-General for Trade

West Africa

The countries

• 15 members of ECOWAS: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
• Mauritania

The region

• Main EU trade partner in ACP (40% of all EU-ACP trade)
• EU is main trade partner (32% of trade)
• 80% of exports to EU are from Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire), Ghana and Nigeria.
• All least-developed countries except Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire), Ghana, Nigeria (and Cape Verde, in a transitional phase)
• Comprises two regional groupings: ECOWAS 1 and UEMOA 2

Economic Partnership Agreements

Interim EPAs were signed with Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) and initialled with Ghana covering:

• duty and quota-free EU market access
• gradual liberalisation (removal of duties and quotas) over 15 years for 81% of EU imports to Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) and 80% to Ghana
• EU exports are mainly industrial goods, vehicles and chemicals which do not compete with domestic production
• safeguard provisions enabling both countries to protect fragile economic sectors by re-introducing quotas or duties
• agreement to foster cross-border trade within the region (e.g. more efficient customs procedures)
• EU support to help local companies become more competitive and meet EU import standards

Ongoing EPA negotiations

• On West African side, negotiations led by commissions of ECOWAS and UEMOA
• EPA negotiations focus on:
  • strengthening regional integration
  • prioritising development and enhancing the region’s development program (PAPED)
  • enhancing competitiveness (e.g. capacity-building for West African companies and exporters)
  • integrity of agricultural sector
  • alternative funding for net transitional and tax offsetting costs
  • inclusion of a regional list for sensitive West African products

Trade with the EU: €43.6bn in 2008

West Africa: main exports to the EU (2008)

West Africa: main imports from the EU (2008)

1. ECOWAS is an organisation of 15 countries seeking to promote regional economic integration and establish a functioning customs union. ¶
2. UEMOA is a monetary union of 8 ECOWAS members (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Guinea-Bissau). Its currency, the CFA-Franc, is issued by the UEMOA central bank (BCEAO), which is supported by the French Treasury and is fixed against the euro. ¶

Supporting information

Central Africa

The countries

• The EU-Central Africa EPA is negotiated with 8 countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe

The region

• Mainly least-developed countries (Chad, CAR, DRC, São Tomé and Equatorial Guinea)
• Despite CEMAC 1, integration remains a challenge and regional trade lags behind trade with developed countries outside the region
• The region has vast differences. In terms of size, São Tomé and Principe is a small archipelago whereas the DRC has twice the population of all other countries in the region combined
• Main regional export – oil (all countries except CAR have exportable amounts)

Economic Partnership Agreements

• Cameroon - signed an interim EPA in 2009, covering:
  • duty and quota-free EU access for all goods from Central Africa
  • gradual liberalisation (removal of duties and quotas) between 2010-25 up to 80% of EU exports to Cameroon
  • exclusion of Cameroonian sensitive sectors from liberalisation for the remaining 20% of exports (Cameroonian sectors still needing protection from EU imports, e.g. farm products like meat, flour and dairy products)
  • EU infrastructure support to foster cross-border trade with regional neighbours
  • EU support to help fragile economic sectors and exporters meet EU import standards
  • improved Rules of Origin which will apply once the whole region signs the EPA
• Gabon, Congo - no EPA yet signed – these countries trade with the EU under its Generalised System of Preferences scheme.
• Chad, CAR, DRC, São Tomé and Equatorial Guinea - as LDCs, these countries benefit from duty and quota-free EU access under the "Everything but Arms" scheme

EPA negotiations

• EPA negotiations are pursued at different levels:
  • Joint ministerial trade committee – region’s trade ministers
  • Negotiating committee – leads intra-regional negotiations
  • Groups of experts – provide technical assistance and advice
  • Contact group – provides relevant data
  • Regional preparatory task force – designs and seeks financial support for measures to implement EPAs
• Joint technical groups – e.g. the regional market, technical and health standards (WTO's SPS agreement), services and investments, environment, intellectual property, governance

Trade with the EU: €13.9bn in 2008

Central Africa: main exports to the EU (2008)

Central Africa: main imports from the EU (2008)

1. In Central Africa, there are two partially overlapping regional integration organisations: CEMAC and CEEAC. CEMAC is a regional integration community with a customs union and a single currency. Members include: Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. CEMAC Headquarters are based in Bangui (CAR). CEMAC is the lead group in EPA negotiations. CEEAC is a free trade area (still in the process of establishing itself). Members include CEMAC member states plus Angola, Burundi, DRC, Sao Tome and Principe. Angola and Burundi are negotiating with other EPA formations. CEEAC is based in Libreville (Gabon). ¶

Supporting information

Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA)

The countries

• Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan (Horn of Africa)
• Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe (southern Africa)
• Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar and Seychelles (Indian Ocean islands)

The region

• All countries are members of COMESA

Economic Partnership Agreements

An interim EPA has been agreed with six ESA states: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe and Madagascar signed it in August 2009, with Zambia and Comoros still pending. The Agreement foresees:

• no duties/quotas for ESA imports into the EU
• no duties/quotas for most EU imports into:
  • Seychelles (98%)
  • Mauritius (96%)
  • Comoros and Madagascar (81%)
  • Zambia and Zimbabwe (80%)
• the possibility for all participating countries to re-introduce duties / quotas to help shield local economies
• EU commitment to foster trade within the region and support exporters in meeting EU import standards
• commitment of partners to conclude an EPA covering services and investment

EPA negotiations

Current negotiations include:

• harmonised, regional market-access rules for EU exports to the region
• rules and commitments on services and investment
• trade-related issues such as intellectual property rights, transparency in government procurement, sustainable development and competition
• trade facilitation and co-operation on technical barriers to trade, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards
• Rules of Origin

Trade with the EU: €58.2bn in 2008

ESA: main exports to the EU (2008)

ESA: main imports from the EU (2008)

Supporting information

1. Disclaimer: The documents are for indicative purposes. In case of discrepancies between these versions and the Official Journal, the Official Journal prevails.¶

East African Community (EAC)

The countries

• Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda

The region

• EAC has been a customs union since 2005
• Kenya is the only member that is not a least developed country

Economic Partnership Agreements

In 2007, the EAC countries initialled an interim EPA with the EU which includes:

• duty and quota-free access for EAC imports to the EU
• gradual liberalisation (removal of duties and quotas) over 25 years of 82% of EU exports (64% in 2010, 16% in 2023 and 2% in 2033)
• exclusion of EAC sensitive sectors from liberalisation for the remaining 18% of EU imports(sectors still needing protection from EU imports, e.g. coffee, tea and spices, fish, meat, dairy products, certain vegetables and oils, cut flowers)
• special agreements on extensive co-operation on sustainable fishing
• new and extended Rules of Origin for farming, fishing and clothing
• rules for settling trade disputes

Trade with the EU: €4.8bn in 2008

EAC: main exports to the EU (2008)

EAC: main imports from the EU (2008)

Supporting information

Southern African Development Community (SADC)

The countries

• Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa are negotiating their EPAs through the SADC EPA Group. 1
• The other six members of the broader SADC region – Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe - are negotiating EPAs within other regional groups.

Economic Partnership Agreement

An interim EPA has been concluded with Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Mozambique. It was signed by Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique in June 2009, with Namibia still pending. It includes:

• no duties/quotas for SADC imports to the EU.
• no duties/quotas for 86% of EU exports to Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland (excluding sensitive sectors for local producers, e.g. agricultural goods and textiles). Liberalisation to take place over 4 years or by 2015 at the latest. This brings the situation into line with the separate TDCA between South Africa and the EU.
• no duties /quotas for 81% of EU exports to Mozambique (excluding sensitive sectors for local producers, e.g. farm goods and textiles). Liberalisation will take place gradually by 2023.
• the possibility for all participating countries to re-introduce duties/quotas to help safeguard local economies
• EU commitments to foster trade within the region and help exporters meet EU import standards (see examples of trade facilitation)
• commitment of all interim EPA partners except Namibia to conclude an EPA covering services and investments
• clauses for Angola and South Africa to join the agreement
• Angola has not yet presented a tariff offer, but maintains market access through the EU's "Everything but Arms" initiative for least developed countries. South Africa has a separate trade and development agreement with the EU, the TDCA.

Trade with the EU: €58.2bn in 2008

The EU is the group's largest trading partner, with South Africa accounting for most imports/exports. The main exports are:

• Wine and fruit (South Africa)
• diamonds (Botswana)
• oil (Angola)
• fish and beef (Namibia)
• sugar (Swaziland)
• aluminium (Mozambique)

SADC: main exports to the EU (2008)

SADC: main imports from the EU (2008)

1. SADC EPA Group countries are also members of the world's oldest customs union. SACU enables free exchange of goods between its member countries and applies a common external trade tariff. All revenue collected in the common customs area is paid into South Africa's national revenue fund and then shared among members. ¶

Supporting information

Caribbean

The countries

• CARIFORUM States:
  • 14 members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) - Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Surinam, Trinidad and Tobago
  • Dominican Republic

Economic Partnership Agreement

Negotiations started in 2004 (Roadmap, EU-Caribbean) and were concluded in December 2007.

In October 2008, all CARIFORUM countries except Haiti signed an EPA with the EU.

Haiti signed the Agreement in December 2009.

In a nutshell, the EPA has resulted in the following:

• predictability in market access into the EU, the largest import market for goods and services;
• duty-free-quota-free (DFQF) market access into the EU for all CARIFORUM products;
• EU exports to be liberalised over 25 years (some 82% liberalised within 15 years, rising to about 87%) with exclusions and long phase in periods (i.e. up to 25 years) for sensitive products
• improvements in the rules of origin in areas such as garments of knit and non-knit fabric (which can now be produced from non-originating material)
• market opening beyond WTO commitments in the services sectors, including creative and entertainment industries;
• firms can set up a commercial presence in the EU. Sales staff, investors and graduate trainees can make short-term business visits and travel temporarily to Europe

Development work

To strengthen the competitiveness of economic operators and integration processes, the EU provides development cooperation support to Caribbean countries.

The 2008-13 European Development Fund (EDF) makes €143 million available for: Caribbean economic integration (supporting CARICOM's CSME, the OECS, and the relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic), EPA implementation and private sector competitiveness.

Aid for Trade is also provided under EDF country programmes, programmes promoting ACP integration and the economic adaptation measures under the EU's sugar and banana programmes.

Trade with the EU: €8.4bn in 2008

Caribbean: main exports to the EU (2008)

Caribbean: main imports from the EU (2008)

Supporting information

Pacific

The countries

• 14 island states: Cook Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
• (some of the least-developed countries exporting tariff-free to the EU under the "Everything but Arms" initiative)

Economic Partnership Agreement

Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) initialled an interim EPA (liberalising trade in goods only) with the EU in 2007. Papua New Guinea signed it in July 2009, while Fiji signed it on 11 December 2009. It includes:

• duty and quota-free exports from PNG and Fiji to the EU since 1 January 2008
• asymmetric and gradual opening of markets to EU goods, taking full account of differences in levels of development and sensitive sectors
• PNG: liberalising 88% of EU imports with the agreement, excluding the most sensitive economic sectors (e.g. meat, fish, vegetables, furniture and jewellery)
• Fiji: liberalising 14% of EU imports to the country, rising to a maximum 87% over 15 years, excluding products from sensitive economic sectors and important for revenue, (e.g. meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, alcohol, tubes and iron)
• safeguard provisions: duties and quotas can be reintroduced if imports from the EU disturb or threaten to disturb the economy
• provisions on technical barriers to trade, and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures to help Pacific exporters meet EU import standards
• customs and trade facilitation – efficient customs procedures and better co-operation between administrations
• improved Rules of Origin for processed fisheries products from the Pacific which could boost development in the region

Trade with the EU: €1.012bn in 2008

Pacific: main exports to the EU (2008)

Pacific: main imports from the EU (2008)

Supporting information

1. Disclaimer: The documents are for indicative purposes. In case of discrepancies between these versions and the Official Journal, the Official Journal prevails.¶