Consultative Workshop on EPA Negotiations | CUTS International

inform and consult stakeholders on the threats and opportunities of the EPAs and raise recommendations to the government and trade negotiators
build the capacity of organisations in the Copperbelt to effectively engage and participate in the EPA negotiations process
contribute to the realisation of a development-friendly EPA with the European Union (EU)
develop a national advocacy document
Participants debated on key issues of concern and came up with several recommendations. Some of them were
the negotiation team should be strengthened with the inclusion of more competent members including different stakeholders and take inputs from the civil society
the list of sensitive products should be drawn by considering sectors across the country
stakeholders should provide government with information and recommendations on how to best go about developing certain sectors, for eg. the dairy sector;
lobby and advocacy should be a continuous process as this can have a larger impact on outcomes;
the Government of Zambia should provide subsidies and other incentives to local indigenous investors to enhance competitiveness, value-addition and production capacity;
an assessment should be carried out on what Zambia has attained out of its various memberships in different organisations: Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and World Trade Organisation (WTO).