Trade policy implications of economic partnership agreements (EPAS) between the European Union (EU) and Namibia
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Date
2010
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Abstract
Namibia which forms part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) group of former European colonies, is traditionally enjoying preferential trade market access to the European Union (EU). This means goods from Namibia are facing lower tariffs and non- tariff barriers when entering the European market. This trade regime between the EU and Namibia was enshrined in successive agreements. As a result of the outcome of legal and other challenges - at the level of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the latest one, the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA) There will be a fundamental shift in this trade relationship. This will provide Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAs) which will usher in reciprocity in trade between two parties. The EU has initialled the Interim Economic Partnership Agreements (IEPA) covering trade in goods with some members of SADC (Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique) and is currently negotiating full EPAs which will cover trade in services. Therefore, Namibia decided not to sign the IEPA due to the inability of the negotiating partner (EU) to address the concerns it had raised upon initialling the IEPA text
As the new agreement is currently in its negotiation phase, no results in terms of the development process can be measured yet. The research question and sub-questions will therefore be answered by analysing different aspects influencing the relationship which will mainly be done within an intensive qualitative literature study and the application of the international trade theory (dependency theory). The main presumption of the theory will be connected to the main findings of the literature study
Depending on the ideological point of view, EPAs can be seen as a negative ploy by the dominant capitalistic countries, here the EU. In order to analyse the EPAs, this study will reflect arguments favouring the theory. The main research questions of the thesis are: Will EPAs help integrate Namibia into the global economy; and will Namibia have a sustainable economy that reduces poverty among its people? The theory was applied in this study, which concluded that the EPAs can be regarded as a negative development initiative for Namibia. From a developmental perspective, it is not clear yet, whether the method adopted by this study will prove to be correct; but the disappointing results of the Lomé Convention and the short lifetime implementation of the Cotonou agreement had proven that the EU promoted a model of economic liberalisation to secure for itself continued market access across the African continent.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master Laws(LLM) in International Economic Law
Keywords
International trade, European Union, Commercial treaties