Manfredo Fanti, The EU ambassador to Tanzania. PHOTO | SUSAN MBISE
The EU envoy to Tanzania Manfredo Fanti, sent to Dar after a
2018 falling out over rights concerns, spoke to Christopher Kidanka on
the new ties.
The EU tried in introduce
Economic Partnership Agreement with East Africa but some countries
especially Tanzania were skeptical. What is your take on that? Is there
Plan B for EPA?
Economic Partnership Agreement
is not only a free-trade agreement, but has very a strong component of
regional integration in the East African Community and development. It
is quite well articulated.
There is a tendency for most
people to concentrate on the free trade part because it is the one that
attract attention and touches directly on the flow of goods between the
two regions.
It is true that after negotiation some
countries were keen to stay on but others had some doubts, for instance
of Tanzania. It is completely legitimate to request further
clarification about the agreement. We are open to have discussions with
the EAC for further clarify on the content and future of the agreement.
We
do not intend to force anyone to accept what they do not consider
appropriate. The EU believes that it is a good agreement because it
establishes an obligation on the part of the EU and an arithmetic
system, meaning that all products from East Africa will enter the
European market free of duty while the European products coming here
will see a gradual reduction of Customs tariffs.
For certain products the reduction will be 15 years and for
others it will be 25 years. We think it is a balanced agreement that
takes into account the interests of the region.
East
Africa has been a strategic partner of the European Union for long
given the history of the two. What do the EU and EAC blocs have for each
other?
The principles of partnership between
the European Union and East Africa are included in the Cotonou
Agreement, which is going to be revised and renegotiated this year.
Specifically,
East Africa is an important region for the EU because of its
geopolitical position. Also, for international security, the region
faces the Indian Ocean and is a gateway to the rest of Africa to this
side.
To add to this, it is also very close to the Gulf
countries. This geopolitical position is very important for African
stability. Economically, it is important because it is highly populated
with economic potential that has not been tapped, even though the region
is making remarkable progress.
The EU is a good
partner with a long tradition of development and have a strong interest
in terms of investment. There are many European enterprises already
present in the region and more interested in coming here to open do
business.
You mentioned revising the Cotonou Agreement this year. What new areas of co-operation will be in the revised agreement?
The
Cotonou Agreement is a general agreement that offers a framework of
co-operation. The new one will probably have substantial differences
because there will be specific strategies for Africa, Pacific and
Caribbean countries. There will be stronger elements on political
co-operation, and development.
This is an important
year to the relations between Africa and the EU because in a few weeks
the EU is expected to publish new strategy document of its relations
with Africa and in October we are expected to hold an Africa-EU Summit
in Brussels.
Lately relations between Tanzania
and the EU have been challenged, particularly over human-rights
concerns. Your predecessor was recalled to Brussels and the EU said
reconsidering its relations with Tanzania. How far have the fences been
mended?
It is true that there have been
moments of slowdown of relations between the EU and Tanzania. That
coincided also with the departure of my predecessor in 2018. Since then
there have been a process of reviewing our relations.
The
conclusion of the internal review is that Tanzania is an important
partner to the EU and that we need stronger and mutually satisfactory
relations. We are ready to re-engage with Tanzania in a constructive
manner. That Tanzania has accepted my appointment shows that there are a
new relations. Today there is a new Tanzania ambassador in Brussels
accredited to the EU.
Coming specifically to the point
of human rights and democracy, Article 9 of the Cotonou Agreement is
very clear about the importance of human rights, the rule of law and
democracy. We expect all our partners will comply with that Article.
Even as Tanzania and the EU mend fences, what is your assessment of human-rights, democracy and the rule of law in the country?
The
implementation of human-rights and democracy is a continuous process.
It is not something that you achieve overnight. What is important is
that you have a positive trend towards human-rights and democracy. We
must accept that in various parts of the world, there are different
traditions and political realities. What is important is that the trend
is going in the right direction.
Tanzania is rigorously reforming the mining sector, banking and resource management in general. What is you take on that?
The
Government is very serious in reforming the economy, which is a good
thing. This will reduce donor dependency and increased contribution to
the budget.
The important question to be addressed is
the way these reforms are done. If you wish to attract foreign
investment and promote business it is important that investors find a
clear and stable legal framework.
The majority of
business people are entrepreneurs who come to work here and are ready to
comply with the rules of the country but they need to be sure of what
to expect. That is the issue of predictability of policy.
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