COMMITTEE ON TRADE, CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION MATTERS (2013)

The Committee considers issues relating to the development of sound policy for cross-border, regional and continental concerns within the areas of trade, customs and immigration. It helps the PAP oversee relevant organs or institutions and policies of the AU as well as external trade. In 2010, the Committee split into three sub-committees to improve its efficiency and discussed various challenges including a lack of resources to carry out its work

COMMITTEE ON TRADE, CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION MATTERS (2013)

2010 SESSION
From 2 August–13 October 2010, the Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration convened on three occasions.

At the meeting on 2 August, the Committee received a presentation on the status of the implementation of MDGs in Africa by Yeo Dossina, head of statistics at the Department of Economic Affairs at the AU, as well as a presentation on Trade Liberalisation in Africa: the SADC Experience, by Kathleen Rubia. A decision was taken at the meeting to divide the Committee into three sub-committees, thereby enhancing its efficiency.

The sub-committee on trade decided to set itself the following tasks:

  • Motivate positions on various trade issues.
  • Attend the COMESA summit to be held in Swaziland in September 2010.
  • Familiarise itself with the work completed on regional blocks and advise the Committee on future action, for example, to address Africa-Europe and Africa-China trade issues while promoting links among African trade bodies such as the SACU.

The sub-committee on customs compiled a work plan that included:

  • Consulting various established common customs unions in Africa and consider best practices.
  • Considering challenges and the way forward for the established customs union, including the one-border-post concept.
  • Meeting with the AU Specialised Committee on Trade, Customs and Immigration Matters and well as other committees of parliaments.
  • Holding a seminar on the experience of the RECs (ECOWAS), in relation to the harmonisation and integration of tariff matters.

Meanwhile, the subcommittee on immigration adopted the following work plan:

  • Undertaking a mission to the European Parliament to discuss issues pertaining to immigration. An issue is the way African migrants are treated in Europe.
  • Considering issues about the free movement of people, for example ECOWAS.
  • Undertaking fact-finding missions to xenophobic countries with the aim to find ways to address these issues.

One of the activities proposed by the Committee was to organise a workshop for its members and counterparts from regional parliaments to increase awareness – and avail to members the necessary information – relating to legislations, as well as the rules and regulations that pertain to immigration matters.

[The Committee planned] to address Africa-Europe and Africa-China trade issues

During their meetings the committee deliberated on the various challenges that it faced during the execution of its different mandates.

Some of these challenges included:

  • A lack of resources needed to effectively carry out committee work.
  • Insufficient quorums at most meetings.
  • The constant movement of MPs from one committee to another.
  • The absence of a permanent Clerk to direct the Committee’s affairs.

The Committee also elected a new bureau. The Hon Mamma Kandeh (Gambia) was elected as Chairperson, Hon Jaime Bessa Augusto Neto (Mozambique) as Vice-Chairperson, while the Hon Sylvia Tembo Masebo (Zambia) was chosen as Rapporteur.

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