- Country or region
- East African Community (EAC)
- Trade topics
- Negotiations and agreements
The EU and Kenya concluded their negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on 19 June 2023.
Beyond opening new economic opportunities, it is the most ambitious EU trade agreement with an African country on sustainability, and the first aligned with the EU’s strategy to promote sustainable growth through trade.
KEY SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES OF THE AGREEMENT:
- Strong, enforceable sustainability commitments, supported by EU’s enhanced cooperation and engagement
- Commitments to Paris Climate Agreement and core labour standards
- High-level obligations to combat illegal wildlife trade, illegal logging and illegal fishing
- Provisions on gender equality and women’s empowerment
- Strengthened role for civil society
Protecting workers’ rights and promoting decent workBuilding on the International Labour Organization’s fundamental rights at work, the deal includes the following commitments:
- Prohibiting child labour
- Prohibiting forced labour
- Freedom of association
- Prohibiting employment discrimination
- Safe and healthy environment for all workers
Protecting the climate and the environment- Commitment to respect the Paris Climate Agreement subject to dispute settlement
- Paris Climate Agreement as an essential element of the trade agreement, putting the fight against climate change on a par with other fundamental values such as human rights, democracy, rule of law
- Commitments on preserving biodiversity, sustainable forestry and sustainable fishing
- Promoting products derived from sustainable use of natural resources, and promoting investment that is sustainable
- Measures to promote responsible business conduct and supply chain management in line with international UN, ILO and OECD standards
Promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment- Enforceable provisions to implement international UN standards and obligations, and prevent gender discrimination
- Support women to benefit from the trade agreement, including activities to support the capacity and conditions of women workers and entrepreneurs
Stronger cooperation and enforcement of sustainability commitments- Commitment to work together, transfer know-how and provide development assistance to support the implementation of all sustainability commitments
- Involvement of civil society at various stages of the process
- Dispute settlement mechanism on sustainability issues, to ensure enforcement
- Compliance stage: if the mechanism is triggered, the panel will be informed and review how the report is implemented.