Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), May 9, 2015 (SPS) - The Saharawi Republic is taking part on Friday and Sunday in the Dedicated Session of Experts and Senior Officials, which will be followed by a Ministers of Trade meeting on the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA).
Chaired by the Representative of the SADR Ministry of Trade, Ms. Nguia Zarug, a Saharawi delegation is taking part to the meeting including Ms. Maria El IId Saila, and Mr. Waddadi Salek, both from the Saharawi Permanent Mission to the AU and Embassy in Addis Ababa.
The meeting is attended by some 39 Member States in addition to representatives of the African Regional Economic Communities and many Partners of the AU.
The participants will discuss many studies presented to them on different subjects related to the CFTA, mainly the Stock-Taking of Available Research on the CFTA and Gap Analysis; the Pan-African Quality Infrastructure: Stock-taking document; A clear analysis of the state-of-play of progress towards regional FTAs at REC’s level, both in the Tripartite and other RECs; a Report on implications of EPAs and Mega-regional Trade Agreements for Africa’s continental integration.
They will also discuss an update on ARIA V impact Assessment of the CFTA including possible alternatives to 100% liberalization scenarios – 95% and 90%; an Analysis of Rules of Origin and the CFTA; Africa Continental Free Trade Area: Liberalizing Trade in Services for Trade Facilitation; a Background Paper on Negotiating Trade in Services and Movement of Business Persons in the CFTA; a Study on the design of the industrial pillar in the context of the CFTA and BIAT based on the AIDA; The establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area Policy and negotiation options; Policy guidelines for advancing pan-African trade integration: Economic, legal and functional aspects.
In the end of their meeting the Experts will discuss the key recommendations arising from the studies, before they adopt their report and recommendations to the Senior Officials and Ministers meetings to follow. (SPS)
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