The 20th EAC Ordinary summit was held on 1 February 2019 in Arusha, Tanzania.[1] The summit was rescheduled twice from November 2018 and December 2018 due to the absence of Burundi.[2] The focus of the summit was to arrive on a conclusion for the EU-EAC EPA agreement and to further grow domestic manufacturing in the region. The leadership of the community was transferred from Yoweri Museveni of Uganda to Paul Kagame of Rwanda.[3]
| 20th EAC Ordinary summit The 20th Ordinary summit of Heads of State of The East African Community | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Host country | Tanzania |
| Date | 1 February 2019 |
| Venue(s) | Arusha Int. Conference Center |
| Cities | Arusha |
| Participants |  Burundi Kenya Rwanda South Sudan Tanzania Uganda |
| Follows | 19th EAC Ordinary summit |
| Precedes | 21st EAC Ordinary summit |
Participants
edit| Country | Title | Dignitary |
|---|---|---|
| Burundi
|
Vice President | Gaston Sindimwo |
| Kenya
|
President | Uhuru Kenyatta |
| Rwanda
|
President | Paul Kagame |
| South Sudan
|
Minister of Trade, Industry and EAC Affairs | Paul Mayom Akech |
| Uganda
|
President | Yoweri Museveni |
| Tanzania
|
President | John Magufuli |
Agenda
editManufacturing
editVarious sectors of development were discussed as a sector of growth such as Textile, Apparel and Agro-processing. As part of the 19th EAC ordinary summit the leaders were looking to reduce the importation of used vehicles and in turn grow the local vehicle assembly and manufacturing businesses.[4] The council is looking to establish a new platform called the Regional Automotive Industry Platform of East Africa (Raipea) to help facilitate a system to allow regional members to produce vehicle components. Partner states aim to save more than $2 billion annually in car import costs from the platform.[5]
Economic Partnership Agreement
editThe European Economic Partnership agreement continues to be and important trade agreement that is still pending partner state approval. Museveni continued to reiterate that he is engaging with EU officials to ensure that a satisfactory agreement is agreed upon soon. Kenya & Rwanda are still the only members to sign the EU-EAC EPA. At the meeting it was decided that only four months will be given to partner states to sign the agreement.[6] In 2016 it was decided that the agreement be signed as a regional block to give the bloc better leverage in negotiating terms. However, Tanzania who needed more time to review the terms and Burundi whose relationship with the EU is shaky, have not signed the terms.[7] Tanzania still argued they needed more time and the heads of states decided that after the four months, partner states will be advised to sign the agreement individually.[8]
References
edit- ^ CENTRE, TRALAC TRADE LAW. "20th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State of the East African Community: Joint Communiqué". tralac. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ Bambi, Jerry. "Burundi's absence stalls 20th EAC summit [The Morning Call]". AfricaNews.
- ^ Alfa Shaban, Abdur Rahman. "Rwanda's Kagame elected leader of East African Community, EAC". AfricaNews.
- ^ "Campaign for joint EA vehicle assembly engages top gear". The East African. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ "VW prepares for planned regional vehicle market". The East African. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ: 20TH ORDINARY SUMMIT OF HEADS OF STATE OF THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY". www.eac.int. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Tanzania allowed 4 months to resolve EPA impasse". The East African. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Legislative train schedule". European Parliament. Retrieved 25 May 2020.