- A prerequisite of East African Community’s (ECA) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) agreement with the EU is it has to be endorsed by all EAC member states for it to become effective.
- But the deal has been pending since 2015, when the former President of Tanzania John Magufuli refused to sign the EPAs deal.
A prerequisite of East African Community’s (ECA) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) agreement with the EU is it has to be endorsed by all EAC member states for it to become effective. The deal offers the region quota-free and duty-free access to the European market. But the deal has been pending since 2015, when the former President of Tanzania John Magufuli refused to sign the EPAs deal. He was apprehensive about the deal and felt that it could pose a threat to local goods, particularly the agricultural products. Some other members also demanded special export taxes to protect domestic sensitive sectors and also to discourage the exports of raw material to Europe. Subsequently, Kenya and Rwanda entered a special arrangement and a temporary pact with the EU in 2016 for duty free access for their goods to the European market.
With the change in leadership in Tanzania, there has been some backpedalling in its stand. It has been reported that Samia Suluhu Hassan, the current president of Tanzania has expressed willingness to sign the Treaty. Josep Borrel, the EU Foreign Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, has revealed that Tanzania has agreed to ratify the deal.
Meanwhile there are demands from Kenyan businessmen in the horticulture sector to examine the EU’s new clauses before signing the Agreement. They say some of these clauses may hinder the access of Kenya’s produce to the European market. It is learnt that the EU is introducing a ‘Green Deal’ that would require Kenya to ban most of the pesticides in use.
