Background
Support to the SADC EPA group from RTFP has been mainly through the financing of a full time advisor who has worked closely with the SADC EPA Unit. In addition, specific studies have been financed such as the one on the Development of EPA Market Access Strategies in respect of Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland which was undertaken by the UKs Overseas Development Institute and which remains confidential.
A conference entitled “Challenges of the SADC EPA negotiations” was co-financed by RTFP and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) in Brussels in conjunction with the South African Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA). The conference was mainly targeted at European policy makers such as those in the European Parliament. The main conclusions to emerge from the meeting (which was held on 26 June 2007) was that time was running out for the conclusion of an EPA – but that the two sides differed on the extent to which agreement was still possible; that the inclusion of South Africa in the SADC EPA group had complicated the negotiations; that regional integration (which is one of the underlying objectives of the EPAs) would not be promoted through a potential SADC EPA; that confusion still remained regarding the development dimension of the EPA and, finally, that the inclusion of services and the new generation trade issues were highly contentious.
RTFP Director made a presentation on the Challenges of the SADC EPA Negotiation: the Development component The conference report is also available.