Regional Trade
The TradeCom II programme is designed to target both regional and multilateral trade issues. On the Regional aspect, the program will focus on strengthening the capacity of ACP countries and regions to formulate and implement suitable trade policies as well as to negotiate and implement bilateral and regional trade agreements (including ACP-EU Economic Partnership Agreements and All-ACP economic cooperation arrangements) to their benefits. For doing so The Programme will use a combination of technical assistance and capacity building actions.
TRADECOM II Priorities under the regional Trade component:
Under the Regional trade thematic area, the Programme will focus its activities on the following specific objectives:
- To strengthen the capacity of ACP countries and regions to formulate and implement suitable trade policies;
- To strengthen inclusive trade policy formulation and implementation processes;
- To strengthen capacity to effectively negotiate and implement bilateral and regional trade agreements;
- To analyse the impact of trade agreements and trade disputes;
- To strengthen institutional capacities in the design and lead trade-related projects;
- To strengthen competitiveness capacity of private sector traders and trade facilitation institutions;
- To strengthen national and regional institutions in managing cross-border trade and the underlying legal framework;
- To support national and regional customs services in simplifying, standardizing, harmonizing and updating their systems with standard modern practice;
- To strengthen capacity of national and regional customs agencies in developing and implementing internationally compliant customs legislation and systems;
- To facilitate intra-ACP customs cooperation.
ACP Regional Organizations
For pursuing its regional objectives, TradeCom II will work closely with the different ACP Regional Organisations, including the following:
CARICOM
Members: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago
PIFs
Members: [Australia,] Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, [New Zealand,] Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
ECOWAS/CEDAO – UEMOA/WAEMU
Members: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
COMESA
Members: Burundi, Comoros, DR Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Seychelles, Swaziland, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Egypt and Libya.
EAC
Members: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
IGAD
Members: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, and Egypt.
CEEAC/ECCAS- CEMAC
Members: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tomé and Principe
SADC
Members: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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