| REGIONAL NEGOTIATIONS
Assistance to Mozambique regional trade agreements negotiations
| Project Partners |
Ministry of Industry
and Trade (MIC)
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO |
| |
|
| Implementing Agency |
IDEAS Centre, Geneva |
1. Background
In 2008 the project has been redesigned at the request of the Government of Mozambique to take into account the new needs for assistance. Before those changes, the project started in 2005, with the aim of strengthening the capacities of the Government for the WTO negotiations on Agriculture in the Doha round. It aimed at facilitating the participation of Mozambique in the trade negotiation process by establishing clear, policy-based negotiating positions and by integrating them into the ongoing negotiation positions at the different levels. The project has obtained successful results but the suspension of the Doha negotiation for almost a year in the second part of 2006 had a direct impact for the project with a halt in the activities. With almost no activity in 2007, the discussions held with the government led to a redefinition of the project. The Ministry of Commerce expressed interest to receive support for the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations that Mozambique undertakes within SADC with the European Union. Since 2008, IDEAS provides policy and negotiating advice as well as analytical and research support on trade in services to help the Mozambican Government develop a negotiating strategy which is in line with its development interests. The project also helps the government for the negotiations going on in parallel within SADC for the trade in services Protocol.
2. Objectives
The objectives of the projects are to:
- Provide the Ministry of Commerce with various scenarios of negotiating strategies and positions in its service negotiations within the EPA negotiations;
- Provide analysis of negotiating texts and possible positions of Mozambique taking into account position of trading partners;
- Address any issues identified by the chief negotiator by giving:
- Second opinions;
- Analysis of experience in other countries;
- Comparisons with alike negotiations.
|
