Decision on the African Continental Free Trade Area - Doc. Assembly/AU/4(XXX)

DECISION ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA
Doc. Assembly/AU/4(XXX)

The Assembly,

1. TAKES NOTE of the Report on the status of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) negotiations submitted by H.E. Issoufou Mahamadou, President of the Republic of Niger and Leader of CFTA process and endorses the recommendations therein;

2. ALSO TAKES NOTE of the achievement made in concluding the negotiations on the Agreement Establishing the Continental Free Trade Area and the Protocol on Trade in Services of the CFTA by the agreed date of December 2017;

3. REQUESTS the African Union Ministers of Trade (AMOT) to conclude outstanding negotiations on the Protocol on Trade in Goods and its Annexes and the Protocol on the Rules and Procedures of Dispute Settlement by March 2018;

4. ENCOURAGES Member States to be represented by Ministers at the African Union Ministers of Trade meetings;

5. DECIDES that the title of the legal instrument shall be “The Agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)”;

6. FURTHER DECIDES:

1. to hold an Extraordinary Session of the Assembly on 21 March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, to consider, adopt and sign the AfCFTA Legal instruments and the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area;

2. to hold an Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council on 19 March 2018 in Kigali, to consider the AfCFTA Legal instruments for submission to the Extraordinary Session of the Assembly.

7. REQUESTS the Commission to convene an Extraordinary Session of the STC on Justice and Legal Affairs to consider the said instruments prior to the Summit;

8. AUTHORISES the Permanent Representatives’Committee (PRC) to approve a supplementary budget to hold the Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council and the Extraordinary Session of the Assembly on 19 and 21 March 2018, respectively;

9. TAKES NOTE of the consultations with the Group of Seven countries² on the level of ambition of tariff liberalisation and ENCOURAGES the Leader on CFTA to continue until there is a broadbased consensus;

10. REQUESTS H.E. Issoufou Mahamadou, to provide leadership to the CFTA Eminent Persons from the public and private sector appointed by the Commission, and ENCOURAGES him to continue the good work, both in the implementation of the CFTA Agreement and in the negotiations of phase 2 issues regarding competition, investment and intellectual property rights;

11. 
    

    of Madagascar, the of Zimbabwe.

    CALLS UPON Member States to start the second phase of negotiations and continue nationwide stakeholder sensitization activities so that all African citizens are fully aware and own the process of establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area.