Regional
End in sight for DR Congo’s three-year quest to join EAC
Close
to three years after making a formal application, the DR Congo could be
officially admitted into the East African Community when Heads of State meet on
Tuesday, March 29.
An
extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers that precedes the Summit
started virtually early morning on Friday, March 25. The Ministers are set
to consider the provisional agenda and programme of the upcoming extra-ordinary
EAC Summit on the admission of the DR Congo into the bloc.
The
upcoming extraordinary Summit will have one major agenda, considering the issue
of DR Congo admission.
The recommendations of Council of Ministers are positive, according to sources, but the admission of any new member into the Community is a prerogative of the Summit.
Nonetheless,
sources say, next week’s extraordinary summit, if it happens, could wrap up
the process that started when Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi on June 8, 2019, wrote to
then EAC Chairperson, President Paul Kagame, expressing his country’s
wish to be a member of the bloc.
Regional
leaders on February 27, 2021 considered the application by DR Congo to join the
Community and directed Ministers to expeditiously undertake a verification
mission in accordance with the EAC procedure for admission of new
members.
When,
on January 17, 2022, negotiations paving way for the vast country’s admission
were launched in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, Kinshasa reaffirmed its willingness
to be part of the bloc.
During
the January launch in Nairobi, DR Congo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Christophe Lutundula Apala Pen’Apala, said his country was looking
forward to increased trade and investment, and strengthened relations
with the EAC.
A
few weeks later, the report of the negotiations was presented to the Council of
Ministers.
It
is this report that Ministers will now submit to Heads of State for
consideration.
The
leaders are expected to usher in in country’s accession phase which literally
concludes the admission process.
The private sector has urged Heads of State to direct relevant
government bodies to fast track the admission of the DR Congo into the
bloc.
An
opportunity for all
By
becoming the seventh member, the DR Congo is expected to bolster the bloc’s economic potential through
various ways including opening the corridor from the Indian Ocean to the
Atlantic Ocean, as well as North to South, hence expanding the economic
potential of the region.
Manasseh
Nshuti, Rwanda’s Minister of State for EAC Affairs, earlier told The
New Times that: “It will increase our total GDP from the current $193
billion by $50 billion to $240 billion, a huge economy indeed. This is good for
investors who want to tap into such a huge market.”
“It
has lots of investment opportunities that other regional companies can harness
for the good of the people of East Africa and beyond.”
Stick
Luka, a Congolese pharmacist who lives and works in the eastern DR Congo city
of Bukavu, said his country’s likely membership is “a good initiative and its
happening should be an opportunity for all populations.”
Among
the advantages for the DR Congo, Luka noted, are several administrative
facilities and the reduction of charges for the commercial and economic
activities of Congolese citizens as well as the facilitation of their mobility
in regional countries.
The
DR Congo should also benefit from the reduction in customs tariffs for goods
received in the ports of Mombasa, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania that will
have a positive impact on DR Congo’s import and export, Luka said.
He
added: “The first challenge for regional integration within the EAC is to
facilitate the lives of people through their security as well as through the
free movement of people, goods and services.
It
should also be noted that, on the other hand, we are losing part of our
economic sovereignty, that is, Rwandan, Ugandan, Kenyan products, and others,
will have customs facilities and dominate the local market because the absence
of production units and road infrastructure which does not allow the DRC to be
competitive to other member of the EAC.”
Luka
said his country “is lagging behind and, as a result, is in a weak position
compared to other EAC countries.”
The
four stages for DR Congo admission
The
procedure for admission of the DR Congo, or any other new member, entailed four
stages. First was a verification exercise; then there were negotiations with
the country on its admission to the EAC directed by Summit.
Mid
last year, a verification team was deployed in the country. It submitted its
report to the Council of Ministers in December 2021.
What
follows now will be eventual official admission; and the ultimate deposition of
the instrument of acceptance of the terms of admission by the country within
six months of its admission.
Earlier,
Mathuki noted that DR Congo’s intention to join the Community was not by
default since it shares borders with five partner states – Tanzania, Burundi,
Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan.
The
role of the negotiations with the DR Congo was to establish its readiness to
comply with the set six criteria as stipulated under the EAC Treaty and the
bloc’s procedure for admission.
The
six criteria include: acceptance of the Community as set out in the Treaty;
adherence to universally acceptable principles of good governance, democracy,
the rule of law, observance of human rights and social justice; potential
contribution to the strengthening of integration within the region;
geographical proximity to and inter-dependence between the foreign country and
partner states; establishment and maintenance of a market driven economy; and
social and economic policies being compatible with those of the bloc.
The
negotiations also took into account the country’s profile and established,
among others, its level of compatibility with the EAC's stages of development
in trade liberalization and development; co-operation in investment and
industrial development; coordination in monetary and financial matters;
development of infrastructure and services; development of human resources; and
the development of agriculture and natural resources.
Source:
www.newtimes.co.rw