EAC approve individual trade pacts with EU if joint deal not reached

Museveni handed over the rotating chairmanship of the EAC to Kagame. [Photo: Courtesy]

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania - East African countries can individually sign separate trade agreements with the European Union (EU) if a joint deal is not reached within the next four months, according to a statement from a meeting of regional leaders.

The East African Community (EAC) and the EU have been at loggerheads for years over signing the so-called Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), designed to replace preferential trade deals struck down by the World Trade Organization.