Trade Facilitation
Overview
Multilateral and Bilateral Trade Negotiations
The obligations of SACU in Multilateral and Bilateral Trade Negotiations are contained in Part 5 of the SACU Agreement, 2002, dealing with Trade Liberalisation, and specifically in Article 31 on Trade Relations with Third Parties. This calls for SACU Member States to negotiate trade agreements with third parties as a bloc, by virtue of them being in a Customs Union with a common external tariff.
The Trade Negotiations' Unit in the Policy Development & Research Directorate will support SACU in this function through coordination and technical assistance in the negotiation of trade agreements with third parties as envisaged in Article 10.8 of the SACU Agreement, 2002.