Countries sign Joint undertaking for enabling trade environment amongst ACP states
Brussels, 30 March 2017/ ACP: The Republics of Zimbabwe, Cameroon and Namibia have joined the growing number of ACP countries party to the Joint Undertaking on Administrative Cooperation for the Implementation of Cumulation Provisions contained in the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) signed between ACP regions/countries and the EU.
The Joint Undertaking allows cumulation provisions between countries that have signed the ACP Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) with the EU, as well as with other non-signatory ACP countries benefitting from duty-free quota-free access into the EU.
It is expected that the Signing the agreement will establish an enabling environment for trade amongst all the ACP EPA signatory parties.
During the month of March, representatives of Zimbabwe (H.E. Ambassador Tadeous Tafirenyika Chifamba), Cameroon (Director General of Customs Mr. Fongod Edwin Nuvaga) and Namibia (H.E. Ambassador Kaire Mbuende) signed the agreement at the ACP House on behalf of their countries, bringing the total number of countries to 12. Signatories so far also include Botswana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius (with reservations), Mozambique, Seychelles and Swaziland.
The Joint Undertaking will empower the various customs administrations of the ACP EPA signatory parties and OCTs to interact with one another and put in place systems that would enable them to import materials from one another, do further processing and export the final product to the EU under preferential conditions.
The document may serve as a template for similar agreements to be negotiated on a bilateral basis by ACP countries/regions with certain non-ACP countries.
(Photos from top:Ambassador Dr. Kaire Mbuende of Namibia signs Joint Undertaking at ACP House;Director General of Customs of Cameroon Mr. Fongod Nuvaga (second from right) accompanied by Cameroonian Ambassador H.E. Mr Daniel Abe’e (right) and officials during the signing ceremony;Ambassador of Zimbabwe H. E. Mr. Tadeous Chifamba signing the Joint Undertaking)
– ACP Press