Commissioner De Gucht heading for an official visit to East Africa

On Friday, 31 October 2014, the EU Commissioner for Trade Karl De Gucht will travel to Kenya to meet with a number of high level government representatives in the area of foreign affairs and international trade, East African affairs, finance, industrialisation and agriculture.

The visit follows conclusion, two weeks ago, of the negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement with the East African Community, to which Kenya belongs. The agreement will play a crucial role in guaranteeing long-term access to the European market and enhance development prospects of the region. The meetings will be an occasion to encourage swift ratification and implementation of the agreement by our Partners and reassure the authorities of Kenya that the EU is taking all necessary steps to ensure continuity of duty-free access to its market during the period necessary for internal approval procedures to be accomplished.

The Eastern African Community (EAC) consists of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Total trade between the EU and the East African Community amounted to €5.8 billion in 2013.