The consultations on the trade agreement between Mozambique and Malawi have been finalised, making it possible to move on to the next phase, which involves the technical-legal review of the document and its translation into Portuguese, according to the newspaper Noticias.
According to Claire Zimba, director of foreign trade at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, ‘the governments of Mozambique and Malawi defended the need to submit the agreement to the legal authorities of both countries’ and the session to harmonise and adjust the final details of the agreement is scheduled to take place next week in Tete province.
Last month, delegations from the two countries met for the third round of negotiations, focussing on the clauses still outstanding. ‘The main aim of the meeting was to review the proposal for the common list of products and to define the threshold value for the simplified regime,’ explained Zimba. The agreed value was 1,000 US dollars, but Zimba noted that ‘this value can be adjusted according to experience in implementing the regime’.
Zimba also emphasised the importance of adopting a progressive approach to implementing the simplified trade regime. ‘We agree that the simplified customs document will be adjusted based on its effectiveness,’ he said. The borders of Zóbuè, Calómue, Mandimba and Melosa have been identified as the priority areas for starting to implement the agreement.
Malawi is now finalising its legal consultations, the outcome of which will be shared with Mozambique shortly. ‘We are waiting for Malawi to send us the document for final harmonisation,’ said Zimba. The expectation is that the agreement, after final revision, will be signed by the end of the year by the ministers responsible for industry and trade in both countries.