Renewed hope in EU market access

Kenya’s preferential access to the European Union market will be reinstated in a month if the European Parliament ratifies the new African Economic Partnership Agreement (EPAS) signed in October.

Approval of the deal will enable Kenyan exporters to once again begin accessing the duty-free, quota free market regime by January 21 next year.

“The European Parliament is expected to conclude the passage of this supplementary legislation by January 14, 205, with Kenya’s reinstatement targeted to take off from 21st of the same month,” Neven Mimica, a member of the mission responsible for International Co-operation and Development, told members at ACP-EU joint Parliamentary Assembly meetings in Strasbourg, France.

The Government has sought assurance on negative consequences of imposition of higher duties on Kenya. The Kenyan delegation which included Deputy Speakers Kembi Gitura (Senate) and Joyce Laboso (National Assembly) and Ugenya MP David Ochieng' lobbied their counterparts in the EU Parliament to put a strong case on the matter.

The legislators affirmed that the East Africa Community (EAC) has been negotiating with EU on the rates. “EAC has not concluded negotiations thus leading to the transition to the restrictive generalised system of preference trade regime with the attendant taxes on exports,” said Dr Lasobo.