REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND EPAS: CHALLENGES FOR SADC–EPA GROUP

The document examines the difficulties the SADC-EPA group faces due to member states belonging to multiple regional trade arrangements, such as SACU, COMESA, and the EAC. It highlights a critical tension for the BLNS countries (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland), who are constrained by South Africa's existing TDCA with the EU, and the MAT countries (Mozambique, Angola, and Tanzania), who face limited bargaining power as Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The author argues that the goal of a SADC Customs Union by 2010 is unrealistic due to these overlapping memberships and suggests that the SADC-EPA group must present two distinct market access offers to the EU to accommodate these different national and regional constraints.

• Multiple membership in regional trade arrangements creates a fundamental conflict for SADC member states as they move toward a Customs Union (CU), because a country cannot belong to more than one CU simultaneously.
• The target for SADC to achieve a Customs Union by 2010, as outlined in the RISDP, is considered unrealistic and a 'non starter' in the medium term; the author suggests SADC should instead focus on production, infrastructure, and food security.
• The SADC-EPA group is divided into distinct categories for EU negotiations: South Africa (under the TDCA), six countries negotiating as part of the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) group, and a SADC-EPA group consisting of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
• The BLNS countries (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland) are effectively forced to accede to the TDCA's free trade provisions due to their SACU membership, which may leave them worse off than they were under the Cotonou arrangements.
• Because of the differing statuses of its members, the SADC-EPA group must prepare two separate market access offers for the EU: one for the BLNS (matching the TDCA) and one for the MAT countries (Mozambique, Angola, and Tanzania) that includes LDC-specific flexibilities.
• Tanzania faces a specific challenge as a member of the EAC Customs Union, meaning it must coordinate a uniform trade regime with Kenya and Uganda or seek a derogation to apply different terms under the SADC EPA.

APA

Tekere, M. (2005). REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND EPAS: CHALLENGES FOR SADC–EPA GROUP. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/SADC-EPA-Tekere.pdf

Chicago

Tekere, Moses. REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND EPAS: CHALLENGES FOR SADC–EPA GROUP. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2005. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/SADC-EPA-Tekere.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Tekere |first1=Moses |title=REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND EPAS: CHALLENGES FOR SADC–EPA GROUP |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=30 August 2005 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/SADC-EPA-Tekere.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{tekere2005regional, author = {Tekere, Moses}, title = {{REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND EPAS: CHALLENGES FOR SADC–EPA GROUP}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2005}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/SADC-EPA-Tekere.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }