1. THE EU - SADC EPA GROUP Economic Partnership Agreement
Gijs BERENDS
DG TRADE

2. Regional configuration

3. ASYMMETRIC LIBERALISATION (estimates)
Tariff lines
Trade volume
EU offer to BLMNS
Full liberalisation
100%
(except arms and ammunition)
EU offer to South Africa
94,9%
96,0%
Partial liberalisation
3,2%
2,7%
Excluded
1,9%
1,3%
SACU offer to EU
84,9%
74,1%
12,9%
12,1%
2,2%
13,8%

4. SAFEGUARDS Multilateral safeguard Bilateral safeguard - permanent
If EU applies a WTO safeguard, SADC EPA group will be exempted for five years.
Bilateral safeguard - permanent
When imports cause or threaten to cause injury to domestic industry
Food security safeguard
Where essential for the prevention or relief of shortages
Agricultural safeguard – 12 years
Automatic volume-based safeguard
BLNS temporary safeguard – 12 years

5. ARE EPAs DEVELOPMENT-ORIENTED?
Guaranteed duty-free, quota-free
Asymmetric market access
Large number of safeguards
Flexible rules of origin
Improves overall investment climate
Elimination of export subsidies for agricultural products

6. EPAs and POLICY SPACE
Services, investment, public procurement, IPR, competition: no disciplines
No standstill clause for products not subject to liberalisation
Export duties flexibilities
EPA countries more and more using trade measures to restrict imports: safeguards, infant industry, anti-dumping, local content

7. SADC EPA EXPORT BASE Country Top-3 products Top-10 products Botswana
98,7%
99,9%
Lesotho
99,7%
Namibia
55,7%
90,4%
South Africa
34,3%
59,5%
Swaziland
88,5%
98,4%
Mozambique
80,1%
97,6%

8. EPAs and DIVERSIFICATION
Access to intermediate goods
Protect sectors from industrialisation
Export duties
Infant industry
Cumulation of origin

9. NEXT STEPS Legal scrubbing now completed
Translation into all official languages completed
Endeavour to have signature of the agreement in June 2016
Internal procedures towards ratification will commence after signature