27 June 2023: UK-Côte d’Ivoire Stepping Stone Economic Partnership Agreement Committee – communique
Published 19 November 2024
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Communique of the second UK-Cote D’Ivoire EPA Committee
The second meeting of the United Kingdom-Côte d’Ivoire Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Committee was held on 27 June 2023. The meeting was co-chaired by Guillaume Golé Bi and Brendan McMullan on behalf of Côte d’Ivoire and the United Kingdom (UK) respectively. It took place via videoconference.
The UK and Côte d’Ivoire remarked on their continued partnership since the first EPA Committee in 2021.
The Parties discussed the establishment of the EPA’s governance and institutional arrangements. The co-chairs adopted the Rules of Procedure for the Settlement of Disputes and Code of Conduct for Arbitrators. The Parties agreed next steps towards agreeing the list of arbitrators.
The UK and Côte d’Ivoire updated one another on their respective trade policy developments, including the launch of the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) in June 2023 and the opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the implementation of the EU-Côte d’Ivoire EPA.
The UK provided an update on taking maximal advantage of the opportunities for Côte d’Ivoire under the cumulation provisions of the EPA. The UK also provided a technical update on ensuring continuity of cumulation provisions in light of the launch of DCTS on 19 June 2023. The Parties decided that references to the General Scheme of Preferences (GSP) within the EPA would be interpreted as the Trade Preference Scheme for developing countries.
The UK provided details on trade-related development cooperation to support the effective implementation of the EPA and enhance trade and economic development in Côte d’Ivoire. This included the UK Trade Partnership Programme, Partnerships for Forests, and research undertaken to identity opportunities to boost trade between the UK and Côte d’Ivoire under the EPA.
The Parties discussed opportunities to boost trade by overcoming issues faced by traders under the EPA. The Parties agreed to investigate these further and report back at the next Committee.
The UK and Côte d’Ivoire co-chairs welcomed the constructive discussions at this second meeting of the EPA Committee and looked forward to continuing to work closely together.