The TDCA: Impacts, Lessons and Perspectives for EU–South and Southern African Relations

The report examines the 1999 TDCA as a benchmark for Southern African states negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the EU. It highlights the 'spaghetti bowl' of overlapping regional memberships in Southern Africa—including SADC, COMESA, and SACU—which complicates the establishment of customs unions and the implementation of reciprocal trade deals. The text details South Africa's negotiating lessons, such as the need to understand internal EU dynamics and the importance of proactive leadership. It also analyzes the legal tensions between the SACU customs union and individual member states' potential EPAs, suggesting that expanding SACU could be a viable solution to regional fragmentation.

• South African negotiators identified several key lessons from the TDCA process: the importance of understanding internal EU dynamics, identifying specific member states for lobbying, and the necessity of a detailed understanding of every tariff line.
• The 'spaghetti bowl' of overlapping memberships in Southern Africa—specifically between SADC, COMESA, and SACU—creates conflict and high transaction costs, as countries cannot realistically apply two different common external tariffs if they belong to multiple customs unions.
• The Trade, Development, and Co-operation Agreement (TDCA) is effectively a SACU-EU agreement because Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland (BLNS) are de facto participants due to the nature of the customs union, despite not being official signatories.
• There is a risk that EPA negotiations may undermine regional integration by creating a wedge between Southern African states, particularly if BLNS countries are excluded or forced into separate arrangements to avoid 'leakage' from the TDCA.
• The EU's approach to development aid in South Africa differs from its approach to other Southern African countries; in South Africa, it focuses on sustainable economic growth and employment, whereas elsewhere it has traditionally focused on basic social services and infrastructure.
• The EU's 2004 enlargement to 25 members has made the organization more cumbersome and diverse, leading to difficulties in decision-making and redistribution of financial resources, particularly regarding the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
• The European Commission has indicated that no new funds will be provided for the Economic Partnership Agreements, as development assistance levels are already finalized within the European Development Fund (EDF) budget.
• Expanding the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) to include other SADC countries is proposed as a feasible way to avoid rifts in the region and prevent the undermining of the SADC trade protocol.

APA

Bertelsman-Scott, T., & Draper, P. (2005). The TDCA: Impacts, Lessons and Perspectives for EU–South and Southern African Relations. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/7-Trade-Report-No.-7_reduced.pdf

Chicago

Bertelsman-Scott, Talitha, and Peter Draper. The TDCA: Impacts, Lessons and Perspectives for EU–South and Southern African Relations. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2005. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/7-Trade-Report-No.-7_reduced.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bertelsman-Scott |first1=Talitha |last2=Draper |first2=Peter |title=The TDCA: Impacts, Lessons and Perspectives for EU–South and Southern African Relations |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=2005 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/7-Trade-Report-No.-7_reduced.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bertelsmanscott2005tdca, author = {Bertelsman-Scott, Talitha and Draper, Peter}, title = {{The TDCA: Impacts, Lessons and Perspectives for EU–South and Southern African Relations}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2005}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/7-Trade-Report-No.-7_reduced.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }