Namibia remains steadfast on EPA concerns

THE Namibian trade negotiating team has pinned its hopes on the newly appointed EU Trade Commissioner, Baroness Catherine Ashton, during the next round of talks next month to convince the European Commission (EC) to adapt the economic partnership agreements (EPAs) to accommodate Namibia’s concerns.

The EC is the executive arm of the European Union (EU). “Under the EPAs, the fishing industry would have considerable problems about local value addition, since we import the cans and the tomato sauce to produce tinned fish and even the label to be put on the cans, but which EU countries would not regard as fish produced in Namibia,” a government official said yesterday.Presenting the topic to the parliamentary standing committee on economics, Malan Lindeque, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, told parliamentarians the fish products would not get duty-free and quota-free access to the EU as they do not have “wholly originated” status.”The results for our fishing industry would be severe and we will not compromise on this concern.The EU will have to be more flexible at the next round of talks in Brussels, Belgium, which start on November 3,” Lindeque said.Namibia reluctantly initialled an interim EPA at the last minute just before Christmas 2007, allowing it duty-free and quota-free exports to the EU until the permanent EPA is agreed on.An existing trade agreement between the EU and African, Carribean and Pacific (ACP) states expired at the end of last year.Namibia exports beef, fish and table grapes, jointly worth N$3 billion a year to Europe.Concerns of the Namibian government are that EU countries demand “most favoured nation” status in the services industry, allowing EU companies to submit local tenders in the 77 ACP countries, and that meat and grain imports from the EU could swamp the Namibian markets at possibly cheaper prices, destroying local agricultural production.Lindeque added that the previous EU Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, was “arrogant and the negotiating climate was hostile.He even walked out on our Ministers of the southern African region,” Lindeque told MPs.Mandelson was recently appointed by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to serve in the UK government and Ashton replaced him at the EU.”We have prepared a legal opinion on our concerns which must be negotiated in Brussels,” the permanent secretary noted.Namibia initialled an interim EPA at the end of 2007 which gives duty- and quota-free access to its exports for the time being.Government wants the EU to agree that no grain and beef will be exported to Namibia form its member states.”Should all talks fail and Namibia does not sign the full EPA, then we will look at other markets like the USA, European countries which are not EU members like Norway, where we already export mutton and possibly Asia,” according to Lindeque.”Building new markets will not be easy and the financial impact in the interim quite substantial, but we don’t have the figures yet.”DTA politician Johan de Waal said it was time MPs used international forums such as the Inter Parliamentary Union to lobby for the concerns of small countries such as Namibia.”We have to push for greater flexibility from the side of the EU and that trade adviser Ndiitah Robiati of the Agricultural Trade Forum pointed out that developing countries did not have the means to subsidise their farmers as is done in the US and in Europe.The playing field is thus not level and these countries, including Namibia, must be afforded the measures to protect their farmers.””Under the EPAs, the fishing industry would have considerable problems about local value addition, since we import the cans and the tomato sauce to produce tinned fish and even the label to be put on the cans, but which EU countries would not regard as fish produced in Namibia,” a government official said yesterday.Presenting the topic to the parliamentary standing committee on economics, Malan Lindeque, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry, told parliamentarians the fish products would not get duty-free and quota-free access to the EU as they do not have “wholly originated” status.”The results for our fishing industry would be severe and we will not compromise on this concern.The EU will have to be more flexible at the next round of talks in Brussels, Belgium, which start on November 3,” Lindeque said.Namibia reluctantly initialled an interim EPA at the last minute just before Christmas 2007, allowing it duty-free and quota-free exports to the EU until the permanent EPA is agreed on.An existing trade agreement between the EU and African, Carribean and Pacific (ACP) states expired at the end of last year.Namibia exports beef, fish and table grapes, jointly worth N$3 billion a year to Europe.Concerns of the Namibian government are that EU countries demand “most favoured nation” status in the services industry, allowing EU companies to submit local tenders in the 77 ACP countries, and that meat and grain imports from the EU could swamp the Namibian markets at possibly cheaper prices, destroying local agricultural production.Lindeque added that the previous EU Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, was “arrogant and the negotiating climate was hostile.He even walked out on our Ministers of the southern African region,” Lindeque told MPs.Mandelson was recently appointed by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to serve in the UK government and Ashton replaced him at the EU.”We have prepared a legal opinion on our concerns which must be negotiated in Brussels,” the permanent secretary noted.Namibia initialled an interim EPA at the end of 2007 which gives duty- and quota-free access to its exports for the time being.Government wants the EU to agree that no grain and beef will be exported to Namibia form its member states.”Should all talks fail and Namibia does not sign the full EPA, then we will look at other markets like the USA, European countries which are not EU members like Norway, where we already export mutton and possibly Asia,” according to Lindeque.”Building new markets will not be easy and the financial impact in the interim quite substantial, but we don’t have the figures yet.”DTA politician Johan de Waal said it was time MPs used international forums such as the Inter Parliamentary Union to lobby for the concerns of small countries such as Namibia.”We have to push for greater flexibility from the side of the EU and that trade adviser Ndiitah Robiati of the Agricultural Trade Forum pointed out that developing countries did not have the means to subsidise their farmers as is done in the US and in Europe.The playing field is thus not level and these countries, including Namibia, must be afforded the measures to protect their farmers.”