Multi-Sectoral Council adopts draft bill on EAC one stop border posts /Minister affirms Tanzania’s commitment to regional integration process / Bill aims to enhance trade facilitation through efficient movement of goods, persons and services within the Community and with adjoining regions
ARUSHA, Tanzania, May 31, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Meeting of the Multi-Sectoral Council that took place in Arusha, The United Republic of Tanzania from 26th – 28th May 2010 adopted the draft EAC One Stop Border Posts (OSBPs) Bill as a legal framework for establishing and implementing OSBPs within the EAC Partner States.
The meeting chaired by Hon. Mohamed Aboud, Tanzania’s Deputy Minister of East African Cooperation was attended by among others; Rt. Hon. A. M. Kirunda Kivejinja, Uganda’s Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs; Hon. Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, Burundi’s Minister of Public Security; Hon. Joshua Ojode, Kenya’s Assistant Minister of Provincial Administration and Internal Security; and H. E. Fatuma Ndangiza, Rwanda’s High Commissioner to the United Republic of Tanzania.
The EAC Deputy Secretary General (Planning and Infrastructure), Mr. Alloys Mutabingwa; the EAC Director Planning and Infrastructure; Mr. Philip Wambugu; and the EAC Principal Civil Engineer, Hosea Nyagweso were also in attendance.
Hon. Mohamed Aboud, Tanzania’s Deputy Minister of East African Cooperation reiterated that the meeting was very opportune following the signing of the EAC the Common Market Protocol in November last year and was to come into force on 1st July 2010. He emphasized that efficient borders were important catalysts of regional integration and promotion of trade and investment in the EAC, one of the key elements enshrined in the Common Market Protocol.
Hon. Aboud commended the EAC Secretariat and the Japanese Government, through JICA, for providing Partner States with technical and financial support in realizing their objectives to remove non tariff barriers. He lauded the Consultants, CDC of Namibia, for the good professional services rendered in preparing the draft document that was highly detailed and addressed all aspects of OSBPs.
The Deputy Minister affirmed the commitment of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania to the EAC regional integration, and, in particular its support to the OSBPs programme.
The adopted draft Bill will now be finalized by Partner States’ Legal Draftspersons and Experts before submitting to the EAC Sectoral Council on Legal and Judicial Affairs for consideration and approval. Thereafter, the draft Bill will be submitted to the East African Legislative Assembly for enactment and then to the EAC Heads of State for assentment.
The EAC Secretariat will develop a road map to operationalize the EAC One Stop Border Post Bill once enacted while recognizing other ongoing EAC harmonization initiatives of the existing national laws.
According to the draft Bill, EAC Partner States shall establish and implement One Stop Border Posts at their common borders with aim of enhancing trade facilitation through the efficient movement of goods, persons and services within the Community and with adjoining regions.
Further, the Partner States shall implement one-stop border processing arrangements by establishing and designating control zones at their respective common border posts. The control zones may, at the discretion of the adjoining Partner States, be juxtaposed or straddled or wholly located in the territory of one State or some other mutually agreed configuration. Such control zones shall be so arranged that, for each direction of travel, border controls shall be carried out in the Partner State of entry or, depending on the configuration, from a single stop location.
The Bill also outlines among others; the conduct of border controls; application of border control laws; application of criminal laws; conduct of officers manning the OSBPs; provision and harmonization of facilities in the control zones; institutional arrangements of the OSBPs and dispute resolution.
SOURCE
East African Community (EAC)
