Under the new agreement, South Africa’s duty-free wine exports to the European Union will double.

The Minister on Friday briefed the media in Cape Town on the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). The EU is South Africa’s traditional trade partner.

South Africa, together with Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Swaziland, signed the agreement on 10 June 2016.

The new deal replaces the trade chapter in the bilateral agreement between the EU and South Africa, the Trade Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA) signed in 2000. Under the TDCA, only 65% of SA’s agricultural products were covered. The reverse was the case on EU, 80% products.

“We saw the possibility of improving some material improvements in market access, in some of the commitments we made to the European Union in terms of policy issues.

“The [improvements] are mostly in the areas of agricultural products, in fish for example, the question of fisheries tariff liberalisation was held up under the TDCA because there were all kinds of demands for there to be fisheries license agreements, that has all been put aside and under the EPA agreement there will be a liberalisation of tariffs on fish products without having to concede fishing rights to EU companies,” Minister Davies said.

Image Courtesy and full article can be found at : http://www.sanews.gov.za/business/new-trade-deal-doubles-wine-exports-eu