SA, EU relations thaw ahead of Brussels talks

Relations between the EU and South Africa ran aground last year during negotiations towards a comprehensive EPA with the SADC region. South Africa, which previously enjoyed a separate trade arrangement with the EU, was displeased with proposals being tabled for an EPA binding the whole region. Namibia equally raised its concerns with the proposed EPA.

At the height of the dispute, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique signed an interim EPA (iEPA) with the EU, amid criticisms that the four countries were splitting the region and the Southern African Customs Union. It was feared that frosty SA/EU would derail this week's Brussels meeting, the first negotiations since Botswana and other countries signed the iEPA in June last year.