JOHANNESBURG, July 12 (ANA) – French President Francois Hollande has assured President Jacob Zuma that Brexit will not stop the entry into force on October 1 of a new free trade deal between the European Union (EU) and six Southern African countries, including South Africa.
The EU-Sadc Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) was signed on June 10 in Botswana between the EU, SA, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Mozambique.
It will give both sides greater access to each other’s markets. For South Africa, which already has a free trade deal with the EU, it will allow significantly greater volumes of exports into the lucrative market, particularly wine, sugar and canned fruits.
However, some of the other regional states risk losing their privileged access to the EU market if the EPA does not come into force by October 1.
Charlotte Montel, deputy French ambassador to South Africa, told journalists on Tuesday that Zuma had raised concerns about Brexit – Britain’s decision to leave the EU – with Hollande in Paris on Monday.
Hollande had reassured him that Brexit would have no impact on implementation of the EPA. Montel said the EU had decided to fast-track the ratification of the EU-Sadc EPA through the European Parliament because there was not enough time for all 28 member states to ratify it before the October 1 deadline.
This would enable a provisional ratification of the trade deal, pending permanent ratification by the individual member states.
Montel said if the UK went ahead with its decision to leave the EU, South Africa would then have to negotiate a separate trade deal with it.
She also said France "took good note" of remarks about France last week by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane at a press conference.
The minister was asked if Brexit would change South Africa’s relations with France and especially its access to the EU market.
She replied – "on a lighter note" – that "for some reason there is something very special between us and France". She then explained that when South Africa was campaigning for Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to become chairperson of the African Union Commission in 2012 "we were told that ‘aren’t you aware that you are up against France?’"
South Africa thought this could not be true since SA was a member of the African Union while France was a member of the European Union. "So Brexit, we don’t know about it. We saw it on television."
Montel insisted nonetheless that relations between South Africa and France were "very cordial".
"At the level of Presidents, they are very trustful."
She added that when Zuma had met Hollande on his state visit to South Africa in 2013, he had thanked France for its military intervention in Mali.
– African News Agency (ANA)
