Walid Battal
Last month, the German federal government began ratifying four trade agreements between the European Union and African countries. The agreements had already been signed by the partner countries and were provisionally applied. The objective of the agreements is to ensure responsible and fair trade relations. Consequently, they allow duty-free and quota-free imports of goods into the European market, whether from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, or Cameroon. These agreements streamline North-South cooperation.
Furthermore, the agreements would enhance the added value created in partner countries through cooperation and development measures, transition phases, and protection options. According to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) promise equal access to trade, with certain tariff exemptions for the least developed countries (LDCs). For example, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire are no longer classified among the LDCs due to their accelerated economic development and would thus risk losing their preferential access to the European market without these new agreements.