DECISION ON THE CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA
Doc. Assembly/AU/8(XXIX)
The Assembly,
TAKES NOTE with appreciation of the Report on the status of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) negotiations submitted by His Excellency Issoufou Mahamadou, President of the Republic of Niger and Champion of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) Process;
REAFFIRMS the African Union’s commitment to conclude the negotiations of the Continental Free Trade Area by December 2017;
APPROVES the modalities for trade in services negotiations as well as modalities for tariff negotiations with a level of ambition of 90% in line with the adopted Modalities and urges the Ministers to conclude negotiations on sensitive and exclusion lists;
REQUESTS the Commission to secure supplementary funding for the Revised Schedule of Meetings to enable the AU Member States to conclude the draft Legal text and Annexes by December 2017;
CALLS UPON AU Member States to undertake nationwide stakeholder sensitization activities so that all citizens of African countries are fully aware and own the process of establishing the Continental Free Trade Area.