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Industrialists urge government not to
sign EPAs
Accra, Oct. 4, Ghanadot/GNA - The Association of Ghana
Industries (AGI) on Thursday added its voice to those of
other advocacy groups urging government not to sign the
Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), currently being
negotiated with the European Union.
Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, President of the Association told a
business luncheon of industrialists that further
liberalisation of the economy being sought by the EU under
the agreement would spell the doom of local industries.
The EU is seeking under the EPAs a reciprocal trade regime
between her and the ACP countries. That means the ACP
countries would have to open up their markets to European
goods in order to access the EU markets.
Under the current regime, the ACP countries were not obliged
to open up their markets in return for the quota and duty
free export access to the EU market.
"Indeed, government must be cautious about the decision to
sign as it has negative implications for the economy," Mr.
Oteng-Gyasi said.
The EU, however, claimed that the over 30 years of free
market access granted under the Cotonou Agreement, the
economies of ACP countries had not seen any appreciable
improvements.
Trade between the two blocs had rather been on the decline.
Secondly, that the current Cotonou agreement, which expires
at the end of December, is incompatible with World Trade
Organisation rules that demand equal treatment for all
member countries.
Mr. Oteng-Gyasi said it would be very difficult for local
manufacturing firms with high production cost to compete
fairly with goods from Europe.
Besides, he said, the EU pledge to replace loss revenue
through development aid should be dismissed outright.
"We are against the principle of replacing trade with aid,"
he stressed.
Various civil society and advocacy organizations, striving
for agriculture and trade justice, had asked government not
to sign the deal because it would destroy livelihoods.
They argued that the current level of destruction of
livelihoods through unfair trade practices was enough reason
why governments and for that matter West African countries
should not sign the Economic Partnership Agreements with the
European Union.
The government has said she would not do anything that would
undermine the sovereignty of the nation.
Speaking at the same forum, Mr. Emmanuel Doku, Commissioner
of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, has assured
the industrialists that CEPS would continue to provide more
client focused services to meet their needs.
He said it was in this direction, that the Service had been
embarking on various initiatives and providing an
information technology infrastructure to meet industry
demands.
In addition the Service was improving its monitoring system
to have a better understanding of the challenges of the
various systems put in place to assist the growth of
industry.
GNA
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