Regional Dialogue on the EPAs and Economic Development

The Centre organised a regional conference entitled, ‘Trade and Economic Impacts and Implications of ESA-EU and SADC-EU EPAs’, Naivasha on September 06-09, 2007.

The representatives of civil society, private sector, trade union, academia and governments from the East African countries discussed the progress in the EPA negotiations, in both the ESA and SADC blocs, to share reflections on the possible impact and implications to EAC of signing dual EPAs with Tanzania in the SADC bloc whereas its other EAC partners are in ESA, to strategise for the looming possibility of signing EPAs by ensuring that their implementation is pegged on agreed development benchmarks; to advise on the existing alternative trade arrangements other than EPAs; and to provide impetus to the decision of the sixth Summit of EAC Heads of State for explorations on signing an EAC EPA.

However, in their deliberations, the participants expressed concern over the European Commission’s (EC) lack of common understanding about what development entails for ESA and SADC blocs, in relation to EPAs.