ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT BETWEEN

Chairperson: H.E. Mr José VALENCIA (Ecuador)

1.1.  The 113^th Session of the Committee on Regional Trade Agreements (hereinafter "CRTA" or the "Committee") was convened in Airgram _WTO/AIR/RTA/39/Rev.1 dated 6 June 2025.

1.2.  Under Agenda Item 7.4, the CRTA considered the Economic Partnership Agreement between the United Kingdom (UK) and Cameroon, goods (hereinafter "the Agreement" or "EPA"). The Chair stated that the Factual Presentation had been prepared by the Secretariat on its own responsibility in full consultation with the Parties, in accordance with paragraph 7(b) of the Transparency Mechanism for Regional Trade Agreements (document _WT/L/671).

1.3.  The Agreement had entered into force on 30 April 2021, while preferential treatment between the two countries had been in place since 1 January 2021 on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding. The Parties had notified both legal instruments to the WTO under Article XXIV:7(a) of the GATT 1994 as an agreement establishing a free trade area for trade in goods (document _WT/REG418/N/1 and its Addendum 1). The text of the Agreement and its Annexes were available on the Parties' official websites and in the WTO RTA database. The Factual Presentation (document _WT/REG418/1) and the Questions and Replies (document _WT/REG418/2) had been distributed.

1.4.  The representatives of the United Kingdom delivered the following statement:

1.5.  Thank you, Chair. We are delivering this statement in relation to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Cameroon and the United Kingdom (UK), which has been successfully applied since 1 January 2021. The EPA underpins the strong trading relationship shared between our two countries and continues to play a vital role in providing both continuity and certainty for businesses. The Agreement provides opportunities for growth and strengthened trade and investment ties which will in turn support jobs and economic development. The Agreement establishes an interim Economic Partnership Agreement between the UK and Cameroon.

1.6.  The text of the Agreement largely replicates the EPA Cameroon implements with the EU, with some transitional changes. At its heart, the Agreement aims to contribute to the economic growth and development of Cameroon, through a strengthened trade and development partnership that shall promote a quantitative and qualitative increase in the goods and services that Cameroon produces and exports. The EPA gives duty‑free and quota-free market access for goods originating from Cameroon into the UK market. Cameroon can maintain tariffs on around 20% of its most sensitive products under the Agreement. The EPA allows for Cameroon to liberalise its tariffs progressively and gradually up until 2029. The asymmetrical tariff schedule was designed to support Cameroon to grow their economies in a sustainable way. Notwithstanding the General Bilateral Safeguards provision in the EPA, the Agreement also contains non-reciprocal Safeguard provisions which allows Cameroon to introduce measures in the unlikely event that imports from the UK impact food security or infant industries in Cameroon. The Agreement also provides cumulation arrangements. Subject to the conditions in the Agreement, products are considered as originating in Cameroon or the UK when incorporating inputs from the other Party, the EU, other African, Caribbean and Pacific EPA States, and the UK's Overseas Countries and Territories. In addition, and again subject to the conditions in the Agreement, at the request of Cameroon and by agreement of the UK, materials originating in a neighbouring developing country can also be considered as originating if the concerned country has concluded an arrangement on administrative procedures.

1.7.  Regional considerations also feature in the EPA's accession provisions. The EPA is open to accession by any other state or regional organisation in Central Africa and it allows Cameroon to maintain regional preferences with other African countries and regions without having to extend them to the UK. Another core element of this partnership is development cooperation. The EPA is a reciprocal, development-focused trade agreement, and liberalisation is undertaken in a manner which supports poverty reduction in Cameroon through economic development. The EPA also provides for institutional oversight, with the EPA Committee as the key institution responsible under the EPA for overseeing the administration of all the areas covered by the Agreement.

1.8.  Finally, the EPA contains provisions for the Parties to pursue negotiations in the future with a view to extending their partnership in several areas including services, rules of origin, current payments and movement of capital, competition, intellectual property, public procurement and sustainable development. In closing, the UK looks forward to continuing to work closely with Cameroon, and we remain committed to continuing to strengthen the trade relationship between us. Thank you.

1.9.  The representative of Cameroon delivered the following statement:

1.10.  Mr Chair, this meeting is taking place on the heels of the second Cameroon and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Economic Partnership Agreement Committee meeting held in Yaoundé last year. As a reminder, two decisions regarding the adoption of internal regulations of the EPA Committee and on the rules of procedure relating to arbitration were adopted and signed. Technical discussions also focused on key points such as governance and EPA Committee establishment, development cooperation, issues faced by traders, agriculture, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, the United Kingdom Trade Partnership Program in Cameroon (UKTP‑Cameroon), and the list of arbitrators.

1.11.  The road covered from that second EPA Committee meeting has led to the following actions: discussions between Cameroon and the UK team of experts to agree on the list of arbitrators; exchange of proposals on the projected joint protocol on the rules of origin that shall replace Protocol 2A and Protocol 2B that are being applied to the exportations of both Parties to EPA; updates on forestry commodities regulations; sharing of information on SPS measures, to name but these few.

1.12.  Today's meeting therefore gives us the opportunity to fine-tune all these points and chart the way forward. I believe you agree with me that all the items on the agenda concerning Cameroon and UK EPA will focus on the join Factual Presentation, with a hint on questions sent to both Parties by the Republic of Thailand and the Popular Republic of China. Cameroon on its side forwarded its answers to the Secretariat of the CRTA of WTO to be shared to all its Members before this meeting. Let me add that the Agreement provides further negotiations in Title II, concerning Partnership for Development, Article 5 to 10; in Title 4, concerning Establishment, Trade in Services and E‑Commerce; and in Title V, concerning Trade‑Related Rules, Articles 58 to 61.

1.13.  To conclude, I just want to mention that this EPA between Cameroon and the UK is very important in terms of promoting development and cooperation between the two countries. The forthcoming MC14 in Cameroon will be the occasion to celebrate and to straighten again the relation between the two Parties. Thank you.

1.14.  The representative of Thailand noted the following:

1.15.  Thank you, Chair. We would like to thank the UK and Cameroon for their constructive presentations and for the responses to our written questions, which were circulated last Friday. These are currently under review by our capital. We may reach out to the Parties if we receive any follow‑up inquiries. Once again, we thank you for your kind cooperation and wish for the successful implementation of the Agreement. Thank you, Chair.

1.16.  The representative of China noted the following:

1.17.  We thank the Secretariat for the Factual Presentations and the United Kingdom and Cameroon for their presentations and the detailed responses to our written questions. We wish the Parties success in the implementation of this Agreement.

1.18.  The representative of the European Union asked the following questions:

1.19.  The EU would like to thank the Parties for their comprehensive presentation and the transparency they provided. We have a few questions for the Parties regarding export duties, rules of origin, and the review clause.

1.20.  First, have the Parties negotiated a joint protocol on the rules of origin? If so, when is it expected to be ratified and implemented? Secondly, what is the UK's position on the export taxes, excise duties, and import restrictions adopted by Cameroon in its recent financial laws? Are these measures affecting UK‑Cameroon trade and impacting the UK‑Cameroon EPA? If so, to what extent? What steps is Cameroon planning to take to address these measures? Thirdly, do the Parties intend to negotiate additional binding provisions in areas such as current payments, movement of capital, government procurement, intellectual property rights, competition, sustainable development, e‑commerce, establishment, and trade in services? We would be happy to provide these questions in writing to the Parties if need be. Finally, we wish the Parties success in the implementation of the Agreement.

1.21.  The representative of Cameroon replied the following:

1.22.  I thank all the delegations who have expressed their interest in the EPA between Cameroon and the UK. I can confirm the European Union that Cameroon and the UK have duly taken note of their questions, and we will review them and provide responses accordingly. Thank you.

1.23.  The representative of the United Kingdom replied the following:

1.24.  I would also like to thank the Members that have intervened and likewise indicate to you that we appreciate the questions they have posed and that we will also be following up in writing. Thank you.

1.25.  The Chair noted the consideration of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the United Kingdom and Cameroon had allowed the Committee to clarify a number of questions and concluded oral discussion of the RTA in accordance with paragraph 11 of the Transparency Mechanism. Any delegations wishing to ask follow‑up questions were invited to forward submissions in writing to the Secretariat by 24 June 2025 and Parties were asked to submit replies in writing by no later than 8 July 2025. In accordance with paragraph 13 of the Transparency Mechanism all written submissions, as well as minutes of the meeting, would be circulated promptly, in all WTO official languages, and made available in the WTO database on RTAs.

1.26.  The Committee took note of the comments made.

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