WT/COMTD/RTA23/M/1  
 
6 December  2022 
(22-9045) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Trade and Development  
Eighteenth  Dedicated Session on Regional Trade  
Agreements    
 
 
ACCESSION OF SEYCHELLES TO THE COMMON MARKET FOR EASTERN AND SOUTHERN 
AFRICA (COMESA )  
NOTE ON THE MEETING OF 17 NOVEMBER  2022 
Chairperson: H.E. Ms. Usha Chandnee Dwarka -Canabady (Mauritius)  
1.  The 1 8th Dedicated Session on Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) of the Committee on Trade  and 
Development (CTD) was convened in document WTO/AIR/COMTD/RTA/ 13/Rev.1 of 
7 November  2022. Under item  D (II) of the agenda, the Committee considered the Accession of 
Seyche lles to COMESA  (WT/COMTD/RTA 23/N/1, WT/COMTD/RTA 16/1). The present document 
contains the minutes relating to the consideration of th is Agreement.1  
2.  The Chairperson  said that the Accession of Seychelles to COMESA was notified under 
paragraph  4(a) of the Enabling Clause on 27 May 2022 in document WT/COMTD/RTA2 3/N/1. She 
recalled that she had mentioned at the last meeting of the CTD's  Dedicated Session on RTAs  that a 
separate factual presentation on the Accession of Seychelles to COMESA had not been prepared by 
the Secretariat. This was because the information concerning t he Accession of Seychelles to COMESA 
could be found in a previous factual presentation, which was contained in document 
WT/COMTD/RTA16/1. This factual presentation formed pa rt of the documentation relating to the 
Committee's consideration of the Accession of Egypt to COMESA, which was on the agenda of the 
CTD's 11th Dedicated Session on RTAs held on 29 September 2020 . She explained that, w hen the 
Secretariat was  in the proces s of preparing  this factual presentation, it was expecting the notification 
of the Accession of Seychelles to COMESA to be submitted before the completion of the factual 
presentation. Information concerning the Accession of Seychelles to COMESA, as well as  information 
concerning the Accession of Egypt to COMESA, were  therefore  included in the same factual 
presentation.  However, it turned out that the factual presentation was completed before the 
notification by Seychelles was submitted. Since the Committee needed to proceed with the 
consideration of  the Accession of Egypt  to COMESA, the factual presentation was circulated in 2020 
for this purpose. However, as she had already indicated , the same factual presentation also 
contain ed the necessary information on  the Accession of Seychelles to COMESA.  She also recall ed 
that Members were requested to submit any written questions on the Accession of Seychelles to 
COMESA by 18 July 2022. In this regard, she inform ed the Committee that no written questions had 
been received before  the present meeting.  
3.  The representative of Seychelles  said that  COMESA ha d 21 Member States.  Seychelles joined 
COMESA in June 1993 when it was the Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern Africa.  
Relevant information on Seychel les' accession to COMESA c ould be found in document 
WT/COMTD/RTA16/1.  In November 2007, the Council of Ministers approved Seychelles ' membership 
to the COMESA Free Trade Area (FTA).  The subsequent COMESA FTA regulations were published in 
Seychelles on 25 M ay 2009 , with effect from 11 May 2009. Seychelles notified to the WTO its 
accession to the COMESA FTA on 27 May 2022 under Paragraph 4(a) of the Enabling Clause. She 
went on to say that COMESA Member States established the FTA on 31 October 2000 , after a 16-year 
period of progressive trade liberalization through  the reduction of intra -COMESA tariffs.  Currently, 
16 out  of the  21 Member  States  were participating in the COMESA FTA . The F TA follow ed three  main 
principles:  (1) Zero tariff s on goods originating from the FTA Member States as defined by the 
COMESA Rules of Origin ; (2) Individual Member States w ould determine the tariff rates applied to 
 
1 The general minutes of the CTD's 1 8th Dedicated Session on RTAs are contained in document 
WT/COMTD/RTA/M/1 8. WT/COMTD/RTA23/M/1  
 
- 2 - 
 
  goods originating from non -COMESA count ries; and (3) Removal of non-tariff barriers on COMES A 
goods.  The FTA provide d participating countries with access to the larger regional market , including 
the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) 
through the COMESA -EAC-SADC tripartite arrangement.  Trade facilita tion tools such as the COMESA 
Simplified Trade Regime ha d been developed to ensure that small -scale and medium traders 
benefit ted from the free trade regime.  According to COMESA statistics, intra -COMESA trade ha d 
grown at an average of 7 % every year since the establishment of the FTA with a higher increase 
reflected between the FTA Member S tates. Seychelles acceded to the  FTA with an agreed sensitive 
list of products which include d certain agricultural products, alcohol and tobacco  – on which customs 
duties would be maintained or gradually reduced over the years.  With the commencement of trad e 
under the FTA, Seychelles ' products could  now access the markets of the other FTA Member  States. 
4.  The representative of Egypt  said that his delegation  was taking the floor not only as the current 
Chair of COMESA, but also to express Egypt's apprec iation for its bilateral relations with Seychelles.  
He welcomed the notification by Seychelles of it s accession to COMESA . Of the 21 COMESA Member 
States, 16 of them – including Seychelles – were participat ing in the COMESA FTA.  Under the FTA, 
Seychelles grant ed duty-free and quota -free treatment to all imports originating from other 
FTA parties, except for  a limited number of tariff lines – less than 2% of the total  – that were either 
excluded  or were  subject to a reduced rate.  Egypt also welcomed the schedule of specific 
commitment s in the area of services that Seychelles ha d submitted i n the first round of trade in 
services negotiations,  and which was  adopted by the council of Ministers. He commend ed Seychelles 
for its revised offer in December 2021 , which covered business services , construction , and 
sub-sectors  relating to energy fallin g under construction and business services. Despite the increase 
in intra –COMESA exports that had been experienced since the establishment of the FTA on  
31 October 2000, intra -COMESA trade  still constitute d only 7 % of COMESA’s global trade. The 
intra-regional trade potential for COMESA Member States was between  USD 50 billion and 
USD 101 billion  per year , according to a study published by the COMESA Secretariat in 2021. 
COMESA Member States were determined to overcome the challenges that hinder ed the 
achievement of these  potential benefits by enhancing regional integration.  Egypt and the Seychelles 
shared common challenges including those relating to food security. His expressed his delegation's 
readiness to work with Seychelles  - as well as with other  COMESA Member States  - to address these 
challenges.  
5.  The representative of the United States  thanked  the parties for the notification  and for 
participating in the transparency exercise . 
6.  The Chair person  said that oral discussion of the Accession of Seychelles to COMESA could be 
concluded in accordance with paragraph 11 of the Transparency Mechanism for RTAs (RTA TM). 
Follow -up questions by Members would need to be submitted in writing to the Secretariat within  one 
week, by 24 November  2022. The parties would then be given two weeks to submit written replies, 
by no later than 8 December  2022. In accordance with paragraph 13 of the RTA TM, all written 
submissions as well as the minutes of the present meeting woul d be circulated promptly in all 
WTO official languages and would be made available on the WTO website.  
7.  The Committee took note  of all interventions . 
 
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