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CSD on the Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) in support of negotiations with Angola to accede to the EU-SADC Economic Partnership Agreement

The purpose of this meeting is to present to EU civil society organizations the state of play of Angola’s request to join the EU-SADC EPA, to present the draft final report of the Sustainability Impact Assessment and to exchange views on these topics

  • Date: 25/11/2021, 14:00-16:00
  • Location: WebEx

Meeting details

Registration closes on: 22/12/2021 at 12:00

Please note that we have moved to a new registrations system.

The EU-SADC EPA is a free trade agreement between the EU and six countries from the Southern African Development Community (SADC): Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa. Angola participated in the negotiations of the EU-SADC EPA, but eventually did not sign the Agreement in 2015. However, the future accession of Angola was already foreseen at that time and the EPA therefore contains a specific provision on Angola’s accession (Article 119(3)).

In February of 2020, Angola officially requested to accede to the EU-SADC EPA. Pursuant to Article 119 of the EPA, the start of negotiations requires a decision from the EU-SADC EPA Joint Council. The adoption of such Joint Council Decision is still pending. The negotiations on the terms of Angola’s accession to the EPA should, in accordance with Article 119(3) of the EPA, “be conducted on the basis of this Agreement, taking into account the specific situation of Angola”. The negotiations should hence focus on Angola’s market access offer for imports from the EU, given that the EU will offer Angola full duty free and quota free access, as it has done for the other EPA partner countries (except South Africa). The other parts of the Agreement should not be renegotiated, but there are parts of the agreement that only apply to a sub-set of SADC EPA States and for which the application to Angola could be discussed.

Further information on the EU-SADC EPA

In line with the standard practice, DG Trade has commissioned an independent contractor, BKP Advisors, to undertake a Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA), which will feed into the negotiations. The purpose of the SIA is to provide for a deep assessment of the potential economic, social, human rights and environmental effects of the EPA and it will include recommendations for measures.

The purpose of this meeting is to present to EU civil society organizations the state of play of Angola’s request to join the EU-SADC EPA, to present the draft final report of the Sustainability Impact Assessment and to exchange views on these topics.

Draft reports will be published on the following link ahead of the Civil Society Dialogue.

Lead speakers

  • Head of Unit, Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade), African, Caribbean and Pacific, Overseas Countries and Territories
  • Study Coordinator/Team Leader of the consortium led by BKP Advisors

Moderator

Civil Society Coordination, DG Trade, European Commission

Agenda

  1. Presentation of the state of play of the negotiations;
  2. Presentation of the draft final report of the Sustainability Impact Assessment;
  3. Open discussion with stakeholders.

The meeting will take place via WEBEX. Access code and password will be sent to registered participants. We would be grateful if participants could launch their WEBEX connection at least 30 minutes in advance of the meeting so that any technical problems can be arranged in time before the meeting.

Related documents

  • trade agreement
  • Thursday 25 November 2021, 14:00 - 16:00 (CET)
  • Live streaming available
Country or region
Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Trade topics
Economic PartnershipsNegotiations and agreements
Event type
EU Trade Dialogue with Civil Society

Practical information

When
Thursday 25 November 2021, 14:00 - 16:00 (CET)
Languages
English
Organisers
Directorate-General for Trade

Description