Decision on Trade Facilitation

DECISION ON TRADE FACILITATION
DOC.EX.CL/188(VII)

1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;

2. RECOGNISES the importance of trade facilitation in increasing competitiveness as well as in raising the level of intra-African trade and the share of Africa in the global trade;

3. CALLS UPON Member States to set up consultative mechanisms between operators, Customs administrations and the national trade negotiators with a view to reaching consensus on national priorities, constraints and opportunities related to trade facilitation;

4. RECOMMENDS that Member States carry out studies on the level of trade facilitation and needs assessment in capacity building (including institutional and infrastructural capacity building) and technical assistance;

5. REQUESTS Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to set up regional experts groups to carry out in-depth studies on trade facilitation for the effective participation of Member States in the WTO negotiations and for the enhancement of their trade competitiveness;

6. FURTHER RECOMMENDS that RECs enhance their involvement in trade facilitation by carrying out stocktaking of all regional initiatives and develop guidelines of best practice for the benefit of all RECs;

7. APPEALS to Member States to develop appropriate negotiating positions with regard to obstacles preventing the entry of African exports into developed markets;

8. URGES Member States and RECs, under the coordination and leadership of the Commission, to agree on a firm common position on trade facilitation that will take into account the trade-off contained in the July 2004 Package, notably with regards to Technical Assistance and Capacity Building.