By JUDITH NAMUTOWE –

ZAMBIA and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have agreed on a common list of products eligible to trade under the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Simplified Trade Regime (STR).
The decision was arrived at during a bilateral meeting which was held between Zambia and DRC from June 2 to 4 2015 which was facilitated by the COMESA secretariat in partnership with the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) and European Union (EU).
This is contained in a statement issued in Lusaka and made available to Times of Zambia at the weekend.
The meeting was attended by senior Government officials from the two countries, members of the Cross Border Traders’ Association (CBTA), Cross Border Network Africa and other cross border trade-related Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs).
The DRC delegation informed the meeting that the process regarding the DRC joining the COMESA Free Trade Area (FTA) has reached advanced stage at the country’s presidency.
“The DRC will further hold bilateral meetings with Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda to agree on common lists.
“An inter-ministerial meeting between the DRC Ministries of Commerce and Finance will then be held to issue an inter-ministerial order regarding the implementation of the COMESA STR.
The agreed common lists will be annexed to the decree,” states the statement.
The endorsed lists would be gazetted in both countries by September 30, 2015 and the threshold agreed on by both parties will not exceed US$2000 per crossing.
The traders would be expected to complete a simplified customs document to be filled in at the border post and certified by custom officials.
The products on the agreed STR common list would have to comply with the normal food safety, plant and animal health regulations including environmental protection, a point emphasised by both Governments to the CBTAs.
“All products on the common list will still have to meet the Sanitary and Phyto sanitary (SPS) and other standard requirements to be traded.
All products that are not on the agreed common list will follow the normal trade procedures,” it said.
The two countries will conduct sensitisation and awareness workshops for the traders and border officials at border posts.
Zambia and DRC are committed to making regular follow ups to ensure the STR is implemented in the shortest possible time.