ISDS Case Map
Namibia
The envisaged grand Free Trade Area (FTA), a grouping of COMESA, EAC and SADC will hold a decisive tripartite summit in January 2011 in South Africa as a major push for coalescence amongst the 26 countries gathers traction.
Even though the implementation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) free trade area is yet to take place, there are notable areas of progress indicating that the activation of the free trade area is not far off.
The Namibian beef industry has come to terms with the fact that it has to look for alternatives, as there exist no concrete indications that the government will sign the controversial trade agreement with the EU.
As you may be well aware, Namibia has yet to sign the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU). It is gratifying to see the EU, in the face of Namibian insistence, eventually shifting and being prepared to further listen to Namibia, negotiating and thrashing out Namibia’s reservations about the contents of the IEPA.
Europe, which currently exports only about 10 percent of its products to Namibia, intends to expand the presence of its products in the country, amidst fears by authorities here that the deal would bear negatively on local products, while so-called infant industries could face extinction.
So impressed by Namibia are non-government organisations that they suggest mounting mass demonstrations in southern Africa and Brussels, the seat of the European Union Commission.
The European Union has asked Namibia to stop skating on thin ice and make up her mind whether to be in or out of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).
According to the European Union, countries that have signed the interim EPA are rightfully concerned that the EU is continuing to grant SA, Angola and Namibia the same privileges in terms of trade access even though they had not signed. “The situation is untenable," Jacques Wunenburger, head of the EU’s trade directorate, says.
The European Commission’s delegation in Namibia says it is “not confident” that the country would sign the full Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union, amidst a looming deadline and a possible loss of up to N$3 billion in export revenues.
President Hifikepunye Pohamba has likened the European Union's trade negotiations with Namibia to the days of apartheid, saying the powerhouse is refusing to treat the country as an equal and listen to its concerns about the controversial economic partnership agreement (EPA).
