The European Union, the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and Mozambique are seeking to formalize a new economic partnership agreement (EPA) with post-Brexit Britain. Paulina Elago, SACU executive secretary, said a SACU-Britain ministerial dialogue held in Johannesburg, South Africa last year agreed to replicate the EU-SADC-EPA as an immediate step to avoid trade disruption. "Both parties have shared textual proposals on the changes to maintain EPA text, annexes and protocols," she said. The parties have also agreed that the Cotonou Agreement would no longer apply to Britain when it leaves the EU and it had made a proposal in the new agreement. Elago indicates that the roadmap to conclude the engagement had been revised and was envisioned to conclude discussions by the end of August to pave way for legal scrubbing of the final texts, signature and ratification of the agreement in 2019.
Source: xinhuanet.com
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