ISDS Case Map
Namibia
Southern African Development Community (SADC) integration is compounded by the ongoing Economic Partnership Agreements’ (EPAs) trade negotiations between the European Union (EU), a SADC official said on Wednesday.
The European Union (EU) head of delegation to Namibia said he is hopefull that the drawn out Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) discussions will be finalised during the course of the year.
The country's draft policy on industrialisation is finally ready for public discussion after years of private sector grousing over its absence and the consequent devastating effects on Namibia's overall market competitiveness.
European Union Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht took a “conciliatory but firm stance” on economic partnership agreement (EPA) negotiations when he recently met with Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) countries.
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.
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.
The European Unions’ trade commissioner, Karel De Gucht, will meet with Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba, key ministers, as well as the business and civil community in Windhoek today to try and inject new life into the drawn-out negotiations for an economic partnership agreement (EPA) between the two parties.
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.
The position taken by Namibia with regard to the signing of the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is commendable and should be a guiding principle for further negotiating trade agreements between Africa and the rest of the world.
Namibia has called on the European Union to “take a step backwards from the current excessive demands in the economic partnership agreement (EPA) negotiations to allow Africa the policy space which it requires to advance its development”.
