EU Says 'Good Progress' Made in 11th Round of EPA Talks With 5 African Nations

The European Commission recently wrapped up the 11th negotiation round with five eastern and southern African states on an economic partnership agreement. The commission declared that "good progress" was achieved on the legal texts of Intellectual Property Rights; Trade in Services, Investment Liberalisation and Digital Trade; Competition; Transparency in Public Procurement; and Dispute Settlement and Institutional Provisions. The parties need "further discussions" on the few issues related to Technical Barriers to Trade such as "conformity assessment and technical assistance," the commission said. The five African states involved in the discussions are Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe.