Regional free trade agreements
Cameroon has signed four regional free trade agreements, notably within the framework of the African Economic Community with the other member countries of the African Union (Abuja Treaty in 1981 and the AfCFTA in 2018), the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (1964 and revised in 1994), the Economic Community of Central African States (1983 and revised in 2019), the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union (2008) and the Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Kingdom (2021).
Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union
Cameroon and the EU signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in January 2009,3 which has been in force since 4 August 2014. This agreement gives Cameroonian products free access to the EU market, including its main exports such as bananas, aluminium, processed cocoa products, plywood and other fresh and processed agricultural products. Since 4 August 2016, customs duties on 80% of products from the EU have been progressively reduced on imports into Cameroon over a transitional period of 15 years.
The agreement also includes:
• A chapter on trade defence, with bilateral guarantees allowing each party to reintroduce taxes and quotas when imports from the other party disrupt or threaten to disrupt its economy;
• A chapter on technical barriers to trade and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, to help Cameroonian exporters comply with EU standards;
• And a chapter aimed at facilitating trade through measures such as more efficient customs procedures and better cooperation between administrations (and between administrations and businesses).
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