THE East African Community (EAC) is by next July expected to have one law dealing with harmonization of standards of products to be adopted by all partner states. Stakeholders have already been discussing regulations leading to the introduction of the law expected to be enacted by Council of Ministers before being assented by Heads of the five EAC partner states. EAC members are; Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
The EAC Principal Standards Officer, Mr Willy Musekuzi, told the standards stakeholders workshop in Dar es Salaam today that it was high time EAC region had a common law to govern standard of products and measures.
Tanzania becomes the last country to discuss the regulations which will finally bind the region into a common market and economic integration approaches.
While we are soon to eliminate non-tariff barriers, we will make sure inspection regulations are in place to allow businesspeople trade freely but in conformity with set standards, he said.
Mr Musekuzi further said that EAC was working on one anti-counterfeit policy to be adopted by partner states to replace the present system where each country implements its own policy. He hailed Tanzania for adopting the Pre-shipment Verification of Conformity to Standards (PVoC) system saying the system had been adopted by all EAC partner states.
EAC also plans to have a single standard mark to emulate the European Union (EU) which has been successful in that area, he pointed out.
The Acting Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) Director General, Mr Leandry Kinabo, said East Africa should negotiate as a region when it comes to international issues relating to trade and standards of products.
He said that EA countries had moved several steps ahead having harmonized over 1000 standards of goods. On the impact of standards to the partner states economy, Mr Musekuzi said a study on the area would take off soon, and will involve consultants from various disciplines, including the private sector.
Daily News
Post published in: Uncategorized