COMESA
The
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
(COMESA) which is currently a Free Trade Area
(FTA) was established in 1994 with the objective
of being a fully integrated, internationally competitive
regional economic community with high standards
of living for its entire people ready to merge
into an African Economic Community.
COMESA (Group I)
FTA Member States COMESA
(Group II) Non-FTA Member States
- Burundi
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Rwanda
- Sudan
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
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- Angola
- Republic of Congo
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Seychelles
- Swaziland
- Uganda
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FACTS & FIGURES (2010)
| Area (km2) |
Population |
Total GDP |
Per Capita |
Imports |
Exports |
| 12 Million |
+ 400 Million |
US $ 406 Billion |
US $ 1,811 |
US$ 96 Billion |
US $ 105 Billion |
COMESA FREE TRADE AREA
The COMESA Free Trade Area (FTA) was launched
on 31 October 2000. Member states that belong
to the FTA trade on a duty-free basis among themselves
provided that the goods meet the COMESA rules
of origin.
There
are currently twelve countries that form part
of the FTA (Group I Member States):
Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sudan, Zambia, Zimbabwe. All these countries trade on a duty-free and quota-free basis.
Member
states which are not in the FTA (Group II Member
States) either grant partial tariff reduction
or do not offer any tariff reduction.
COMESARules
of Origin
The COMESA Rules of Origin are a set of criteria
that distinguish between goods produced within
the COMESA Member States and are entitled to duty-free
or preferential treatment with respect to customs
duties.
Rules
of Origin Criteria
- The goods should be wholly produced or obtained
in a Member State; or
- The goods should be produced in the Member
States and the CIF value of any foreign materials
should not exceed 60% of the total cost of all
materials used in their production; or
- The value added resulting from the process
of producing the goods from imported materials
should account for at least 35% of the ex-factory
cost of the goods; or
- The goods should be produced in Member States
and be classified or become classified, after
the process of production, under a tariff heading
other than the tariff heading under which they
were imported (CTH rule).
Note
-
At the 13th Meeting of the COMESA Council of Ministers held in Malawi in October 2011, Egypt has agreed to implement the 35% Value Added Rule which requires that the value added resulting from the process of producing the goods from imported materials should account for at least 35% of the ex-factory cost of the goods.
-
The COMESA
CTH Rule is applicable only for a limited number of products and the list of processes required to be carried out leading to a Change in Tariff Heading are specified.
Complete
information on the rules of origin under COMESA
is available from the COMESA Procedures Manual
on the implementation of the Protocol on Rules
of Origin
Certificate
of Origin:
The
COMESA Certificate of Origin is both issued
and approved by the Commerce Division of
the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection:
Commerce Division
4th Floor, Anglo Mauritius Building
Intendence Street
Port Louis
Tel: (230) 201 1072
Fax: (230) 208 7325
Email:
mcom@mail.gov.mu
Website:
http://commerce.gov.mu
For
the Commerce Division to approve the Certificate,
the following documents must be submitted:
- COMESA Certificate of Origin duly filled
- Customs Declaration (Export and Import)
- Export Invoice
- Appropriate certified costing for value added
requirements
- Any other document as may be required by the
Commerce Division
Non-Tariff Barriers Monitoring Mechanism
In the region, Member States of the SADC, COMESA and EAC have decided to adopt a harmonized approach as regards to the elimination of NTBs. The three RECs have joined forces to implement a common Non-Tariff Barrier reporting, monitoring and eliminating mechanism, which incorporates concrete timelines for the removal of NTBs in the region.
The online NTB monitoring mechanism is available on www.tradebarriers.org. Operators can directly report and monitor the resolution of barriers encountered in the COMESA, EAC and SADC regions. This new system enhances transparency and makes it easy to follow-up reported and identified NTBs. This web-based NTB system is accessible to all economic operators, public officials, academic researchers and other interested parties.
Mauritian operators exporting to the region are strongly encouraged to use the online system to report any NTB encountered. The website lists the different types of NTBs which can be reported on the system. Once the complaint is registered in the database, it is logged with a reference number. This reference number can be used to monitor who is responsible for dealing with the reported NTB and any specific outcomes. The online system also publishes notifications of procedural, legislative or regulatory changes announced by Member States in the three RECs, enabling all traders to constantly keep up to date with trading requirements.
More information can be obtained either from the www.tradebarriers.org website or from the MCCI, which has been appointed as the national private sector focal point for assisting the business community in the reporting process.
Useful
Websites:
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