SADC-EU EPA Outreach

The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and the Southern African Development Community EPA Group came into effect in October 2016. The SADC-EU EPA Outreach South Africa initiative supports the implementation of the Agreement by providing information on its potential benefits. It comprises the Delegation of the EU to South Africa, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the South African Revenue Service. READ MORE

What the EPA means for South Africa

IMPROVED MARKET ACCESS

The SADC-EU EPA provides new and improved market access compared to the Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA). Liberalisation now extends to 98.1% of all tariff lines.

REGIONAL INTEGRATION

Regional integration is the process by which countries in a neighbourhood come together to pursue common objectives. It encourages cooperation between countries through the sharing of common resources and assets to achieve stability, peace and wealth.

MORE FLEXIBLE RULES OF ORIGIN

EPA rules of origin allow for extended cumulation that can facilitate intra-regional trade and industrialisation

ELIMINATING EXPORT SUBSIDIES

In a pioneering move, the parties forego export subsidies for any agricultural product exported to each other. The EPA does away with all such subsidies between the EU and the SADC EPA states.

MORE EFFECTIVE SAFEGUARDS

A safeguard is an emergency measure introduced by a government to restrict imports of a product temporarily.

IMPROVED MARKET ACCESS
REGIONAL INTEGRATION
MORE FLEXIBLE RULES OF ORIGIN
ELIMINATING EXPORT SUBSIDIES
MORE EFFECTIVE SAFEGUARDS

Access2Markets

Online export and import tools and services

Want to export or import products or services? Want to know which duties to pay or rules to follow? If you’re a small business looking to internationalise, Access2Markets is for you. This web portal combines the Market Access Database, the EU Trade Helpdesk and much more in a single tool. Whether you’re just starting out or an experienced trader, we have everything you need.

Trade and sustainable development

Underpinning these trade rules is a detailed development chapter that identifies trade-related areas that could benefit from funding and enhanced support. As with all modern agreements, the EPA has a chapter on sustainable development. The parties reconfirm their obligations under international conventions and agree to uphold their environmental and labour laws.

Geographical Indications

The SADC-EU EPA includes a bilateral protocol on the protection of Geographical Indications. The EU gets protection for 251 GIs including 120 wines. South Africa gets protection for 105 GI names: 102 wine names and three agricultural product names — Rooibos tea, Karoo lamb and Honeybush tea. South Africa can add 30 agricultural product names in the future.

New generation issues

The agreement deals with new generation issues such as intellectual property rights, competition and investment, and public procurement. Parties agreed to cooperate on these issues and can consider negotiating in the future. If any agreements are negotiated in future, they have to be compatible with SADC Regional Framework.

Disclaimer: The opinions on this page are not necessarily representative of the views of all the various partners in the SADC-EU EPA South Africa Outreach initiative.

What the EPA means for South Africa

Access2Markets

Other notable aspects of the EPA

Trade and sustainable development

Geographical Indications

New generation issues