Implications of Brexit for the SADC–EU Economic Partnership Agreement States
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2522-3062/18943Keywords:
Article XXIV of GATT, Economic Partnership Agreements, European Union, sustainable development, Southern African Customs Union, dispute resolutionAbstract
This article explores the implications of Brexit on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) states. Brexit refers to the withdrawal process of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) according to Article 50 of the Treaty on the EU, which regulates the withdrawal process of any member state. Brexit had several other global and geopolitical consequences, for example, the entry into the Southern African Customs Union and Mozambique–UK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). This agreement was entered into amid statements of a return of protectionism. This article explores whether this agreement has changed the fundamental nature of regional trade agreements to make these agreements development friendly. It finds that the UK sought to replicate the trade benefits it enjoyed as a member of the EU in its regional trade agreements. The agreement has introduced a few changes that have allowed the Southern African Customs Union and Mozambique states to claw back some lost policy space. However, the development implications of the agreement are not that much better than the SADC–EU EPA. The systemic issues which plague the SADC–EU EPA, such as the lack of financial resources and infrastructure, have remained unresolved.
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Treaties
Treaty on European Union.
Southern African Customs Union and Mozambique–United Kingdom Economic Partnership Agreement.
The Southern African Development Community–European Union Economic Partnership Agreement.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
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