The Southern African Development Community (SADC) inch closer toward signing a European Partnership Agreement (EPA) according to this report in Botswana's Mnegi Online.
"A series of meetings involving senior officials and experts from the European Commission and SADC are scheduled before year-end as the two groups attempt to wrap up a full Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) before the New Year."
Right: but black clouds still loom over EPA (pic source: http://europa.eu)
The report makes it clear that a number of SADC states (including South Africa and Namibia) are a long way from ratifying an EPA. Afro Leo wonders if the EPA includes reciprocal respect for rights in traditional knowledge. In principle such an arrangement could assist overcome one significant criticism of TK legislation - that it cannot be enforced against those that are most often alleged to have infringed upon TK rights - foreign nationals. There are of course well documented other criticisms of the current proposed legislation, especially in RSA.
