ISDS Case Map
SACU
Southern Africa Customs Union
Singapore and the South African Customs Union will begin talks on a free trade agreement later this year.
Countries making up the South African Customs (SACU) Union have signed a preferential trade agreement with Mercosur, South America's trading bloc. However, trade negotiations with the US have run into problems.
A letter sent by South African Trade Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa to the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa confirms that the demand of EFTA Countries (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) to include provisions on intellectual property rights relating to medicines and agriculture in the Free Trade Agreement with SACU (South Africa,
Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland) has been rejected.
This paper evaluates a possible US-SACU (Southern African Customs Union) free trade agreement as part of a US approach to new preferential trade agreements characterized by the term 'competitive liberalization.'
This Working Paper was written by Tenu Avafia, a tralac researcher, and examines the potential impact of the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between SACU and the United States from the perspective of public health.
This report looks at major Customs Unions, Free Trade Areas, and economic
association agreements around the world, with particular attention to any clauses
covering social issues, core labour standards and trade union participation.
Many civic organizations in the SACU region and the US, especially the labor unions, as well as other governments within Southern Africa note many possible disadvantages to the proposed US-SACU FTA.
India and members of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) hope to have a “limited scope agreement” for more liberal trading by next year, the first concrete step towards a free trade agreement (FTA).
SACU's deal with Efta will be a scaled-down version of the original: Efta members have agreed to Sacu's request to shelve complex issues such as government procurement, intellectual property and investment.
America will continue to enter into bilaterals with states it views strategically.
