EU signs Economic Partnership Agreement with Southern Africa Countries
The agreement was signed by the Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmstrom, on behalf of the EU. In a comment, Commissioner Malmstrom said: " Trade is a tool to spur economic growth and sustainable development. It's also an important factor for integrating regions and forming stronger bonds between countries. With the Economic Partnership Agreement that we are signing today, we want to base our trade relations with our partners in the Southern African region on commonly agreed, stable rules. Trade has helped lifting millions of people from poverty throughout the years. Thanks to agreements like this one, we are preparing the ground for that process to continue."
The EPA with Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland - i.e. the so-called "SADC-EPA Group" - is a development oriented free trade agreement.This is the first such agreement to be signed between the EU and an African region pursueing the objective of economic integration. Other regional agreements could also soon be signed with West Africa and the East African Community
Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica added: "Fully utilizing the economic potential of the private sector and further strengthening trade is critical for the new global development agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals."
For further information