Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA)

Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) includes the Indian Ocean islands (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles), countries from the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan) and some countries of Southern Africa (Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

All the countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa region, except Eritrea, are members or observers negotiating accession to the WTO.

Eastern and Southern African countries: Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Trade picture

• Total trade between the EU and the ESA countries was worth €9.3 billion in 2024.
• Exports to the EU from the Eastern and Southern Africa region are dominated by unmanufactured tobacco, coffee, prepared or preserved fish, crude oil, cut flowers, and vanilla.
• Imports from the EU to the Eastern and Southern Africa region are dominated by machinery and appliances, transport equipment, and chemicals.
• More than half of the EU’s total trade in the region is with ESA-5 countries (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Zimbabwe), which are implementing an interim Economic Partnership agreement with the EU since 2012. Since the start of the agreement, EU trade with ESA-5 countries has increased by 31%.
• Services trade with ESA-5 countries is also growing, reaching €4.5 billion in 2023, with EU imports worth €2.8 billion and its exports €1.9 billion.
• The EU’s total investment in Eastern and Southern Africa is €22.5 billion, of which 86% goes to ESA-5 countries.
• The EU’s investment in ESA-5 countries amounted to €19.4 billion in 2023 and ESA-5’s investment in the EU to €11.7 billion.

The EU and Eastern and Southern Africa

Six ESA countries – Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe – concluded an interim Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU at the end of 2007.

In August 2009, four of those countries signed the agreement (Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe). They have provisionally applied it since 14 May 2012. Comoros signed the agreement in July 2017. It ratified and started applying it in February 2019.

In January 2013, the European Parliament gave its consent to the agreement. The deal remains open to other countries who want to join later.

The interim Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe includes:

• getting rid of EU duties and quotas for imports from these countries
• gradually opening up EU exports to these countries
• rules of origin, fisheries, and trade defence
• rules on development cooperation
• mechanisms for settling disputes

More information on the interim Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe

The interim EPA includes a rendez-vous clause for negotiating other trade-related areas such as rules and commitments on services and investment, sustainable development and competition (known as the ‘deepening’ process). The five countries already applying the agreement have declared their readiness to move beyond trade in goods, towards a more comprehensive agreement. Negotiations to deepen the EPA launched on 2 October 2019. The interim EPA also includes co-operation on technical barriers to trade, and standards on animal and plant health.

• EU-Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA5) EPA deepening negotiations - Negotiation round reports and textual proposals

See how the interim Economic Partnership Agreement is benefitting exporters in Eastern and Southern Africa.

With regard to the Protocol on Rules of Origin, in January 2020, the EPA Committee decided to amend the concept of originating product with a view to simplifying and facilitating trade between the ESA region and the EU. The amendment, which entered into force in March 2020, allows economic operators to have, among others, more flexibility while saving costs.

Committees and Dialogues

The EU and Eastern and Southern Africa meet regularly to discuss issues and best practices and oversee the proper functioning of the agreement.

• Meetings and documents

Trading with Eastern and Southern Africa

• Importing into the EU from Eastern and Southern Africa
  • EU trade defence measures on imports from Eastern and Southern Africa
• Exporting from the EU to Eastern and Southern Africa
  • Trade defence measures in force in Eastern and Southern Africa
• Trade relations are part of the EU's overall political and economic relations with Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius and Madagascar
• EU-Eastern and Southern Africa Economic Partnership Agreement: Creating opportunities for EU and African businesses
• See how the interim Economic Partnership Agreement is benefiting exporters in the Eastern and Southern Africa EPA Group