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EPAs

Kenya walking tightrope on EPAs talks
24-Oct-2011 East African
The outcome of the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations scheduled for December will determine the future of trade between the East African Community bloc and European Union.
Billions in balance if trade pact fails
11-Oct-2011 The Namibian
Namibia will have to pay more than half a billion dollars in duties if the country has not signed the economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) by January 2014.
EU angers Government
7-Oct-2011 The Namibian
The Namibian government is furious after a hush-hush decision by the European Union (EU) to close its duty- and quota-free markets to Namibian beef, fish and grapes by 2014 unless the country signs a controversial trade pact.
Access to EU markets for exporters from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries
30-Sep-2011 EU Trade
The Commission will withdraw the Market Access Regulation for 18 countries that have not taken the necessary steps towards ratifying Economic Partnership Agreements signed with the EU.
South Africa, EU agree to prioritize EU-SADC EPA negotiations
16-Sep-2011 Xinhua
South Africa and the European Union said on Thursday that they will give priority to concluding the EU-Southern African Development Community Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations.
No progress on access to European markets
31-Aug-2011 IPS
Weariness surrounds the negotiations on an Economic Partnership Agreement regulating trade access between Southern Africa and the European Union.
Signing EPA will be suicidal - CSOs
26-Aug-2011 Myjoyonline.com
A number of Civil Society Organisations in Ghana have painted a bleak picture about the Economic Partnership Agreement, warning the government will be consigning the economy to irretrievable doom, if it signs the pact with the EU.
Key deadline looms in EPA talks
9-Aug-2011 Mmegi Onlines
A market access regulation giving SADC states, including Botswana, duty and quota-free access to the European Union is expected to elapse soon, potentially squeezing the affected states out of the world’s biggest market for beef, minerals, textiles and other products.
Fisheries remains key to Pacific trade negotiations
9-Aug-2011 Solomon Times
The Pacific ACP Trade Ministers, at their meeting in February 2011, agreed to continue negotiations of a comprehensive EPA with the EU as a single region with a view to concluding negotiations by the end of 2011. Fisheries is one of the key contentious issues for the Pacific region, and must be dealt with.
The future of ACP, Europe relations
26-Jul-2011
ACP–EU relations have been in existence for quite a while but what great gains has it achieved, for at least one of its small islands member in the Pacific, Palau, asks its former Vice President, Sandra Pierantozzi.
Economic Partnership Agreement Negotiations On Track
21-Jul-2011
Southern African Development Community (SADC) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations are ongoing while efforts are at an advanced stage to consolidate and harmonise market access arrangements for the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), reported Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Tjekero Tweya in Parliament last Thursday.
Free trade is not what Africa needs, Mr Cameron
20-Jul-2011
On his trip to South Africa yesterday, David Cameron talked of the need to go beyond debt cancellation and aid "to make African free trade the common purpose of the continent". He lamented there has never once been "a march or a concert to call for … an African free trade area". He pointed to the need for more inter-African trade to facilitate the growth that would mean "businesses growing, new jobs on offer, families on the up, living standards transformed".
"Time out" on the promises of European Union Partnership
30-Jun-2011
In October 2008, when the 15 member countries of CARIFORUM (CF) individually signed a full Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the collective European Union (EU) of 27 countries, much was made of the promise of increased benefits to Caribbean countries. Two and half years later, the promise remains unfulfilled.
Kenya exports to EU face taxation in trade agreement stalemate
28-Jun-2011
Europe has issued a fresh warning of possible revenue losses for Kenya should the East African Community fail to reach a trade deal soon.
The private sector transparency and the EPA
26-Jun-2011
Sometimes it seems as if officials are engaged in a game that involves having those they are most meant to help, guess about their intentions
PM: Caricom too slow in accessing preferential trading pacts
26-Jun-2011
Prime Minister Bruce Golding has criticised the public and private sectors within Caricom for contributing to the region’s lagging development status by not taking advantage of existing preferential trading arrangements.
EPAs will bring more costs than benefits
26-Jun-2011
Economic Partnership Agreements are undertakings to create a Free Trade Area (FTA) between the European Commission of the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. Benjamin William Mkapa explores whether it is worthwhile for the EAC.
Suriname tightens restrictions on used car imports
21-Jun-2011
Suriname has taken steps to protect the restrictions on the imports of secondhand cars that are in force because of Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the region and Europe.
Spain fights back against perceived threat from PNG
9-Jun-2011 FIS
Spain’s tuna canning industry is feeling under attack by Papua New Guinea’s privileged access to the European Union market. Spain is consequently engaging in a smear campaign against the tariff-free market access of PNG and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, a fisheries industry consultative meeting was told this week.
Pacific ACP ready to sign EPA by year end
6-Jun-2011
Pacific ACP countries have again reiterated their commitments to conclude negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU) by the end of the year.