Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/362 |
S-III§119 |
The West African Economic and Monetary Union |
2017 |
Measures |
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Agriculture |
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In connection with implementation of the WAEMU regional biosafety programme, regulations on preventing biotechnological risks were endorsed in February 2015, jointly with ECOWAS and the CILSS. The regulations apply to any use, trade in, transit and handling of modified live organisms and/or their by products which might have a negative impact on the environment, in particular, on the protection and sustainable use of biological diversity, or on human or animal health, with the exception of pharmaceuticals.
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Keywords
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Bio
Environment
Sustainable
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/362 |
S-III§120 |
The West African Economic and Monetary Union |
2017 |
Measures |
Ban/Prohibition |
Manufacturing |
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In order to harmonize management of environmental and sanitary risks caused by plastic waste, WAEMU is adopting regulations to prohibit the production, sale and use of plastic bags and the plastic materials or products of which they are composed. Similar measures have been introduced at national level (see Annexes by country).
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/362 |
S-IV§9 |
The West African Economic and Monetary Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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The fisheries and aquaculture sector occupies a strategic position in the economies of the WAEMU countries in terms of both earnings and food security. In general, the small scale and industrial fishing fleets of the member States receive little or no support from their governments, which derive substantial income from the sale of fishing rights. The problems affecting the West African fisheries sector include :
• illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) overfishing affecting the majority of fish species and simultaneously threatening food security, marine ecological balances and the member States' foreign trade potential for these products;
• the nonconformity of most of the locally processed products with the health regulations of the main export markets, such as the EU; and
the loss of earnings associated with the sale of fishing licences without local enhancement of the value of the catch.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/362 |
S-IV§10 |
The West African Economic and Monetary Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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In 2014, two directives were adopted within the context of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Programme (Table 4.1). This Programme has the following objectives: the harmonization of policies and legislations; the assessment of fish stocks in the WAEMU area; the collection of statistical data and the creation of a regional database; the definition of a regional fisheries agreement negotiating strategy; regulation of the licensing conditions; support for the fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance services of the five coastal countries; and the development of intra community trade in these products. Directive No. 3 more specifically concerns the coastal member States; it deals with the conditions of access to fisheries resources, measures for the monitoring, control and surveillance of the activities of fishing vessels and fishing craft, the pursuit of fishing related offences; and community cooperation. Directive No. 4 deals with the management of fishing and aquaculture, fisheries products, research and data collection, and offences and penalties.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/362 |
S-Table-IV.1 |
The West African Economic and Monetary Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Table 4.1 National transposition of WAEMU regulations relating to trade in fisheries products, May 2017
Member States State of implementation of Directive No. 03/2014/CM/UEMOA establishing a common regime for the sustainable management of fisheries resources in the member States and of Directive No. 04/2014/CM/UEMOA establishing a common regime for the monitoring, control and surveillance of WAEMU fisheries
Benin Framework Law No. 2014 19 of 7 August 2014 on fishing and aquaculture in the Republic of Benin; its implementing decrees were in the preliminary draft stage in September 2016.
Burkina Faso In 2012, Burkina Faso adopted a decree transposing Directive No. 4.
Moreover: 1. Directorate General of Water Resources and Forests in charge of overseeing the regulations on fishing and aquaculture within the Ministry responsible for the environment;
2. Directorate General of Veterinary Services in charge of fisheries product quality control;
3. National Animal Health Laboratory;
4. National Public Health Laboratory;
5. Creation of management and surveillance committees within the fishery areas.
Côte d'Ivoire Law No. 2016 554 of 26 July 2016 on fishing and aquaculture fully transposes the two fishing Directives.
Guinea Bissau In process of being approved.
Mali These directives were adopted in Mali simultaneously with the enactment of a new law whose implementing decrees were in process of being drawn up in September 2016.
Niger In process of being approved.
Senegal Law No. 2015 18 of 13 July 2015 containing the Maritime Fisheries Code with its implementing Decree No. 2016 1804 of 22 November 2016.
Togo Law No. 98 012 of 11 June 1998 regulating fishing in process of revision.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/362 |
S-IV§11 |
The West African Economic and Monetary Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
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Fisheries |
Relevant information
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Recent community measures include campaigns to assess pelagic and demersal species in the Togo exclusive economic zone (2012, 2015); surveys; and monitoring of inland fishing catches (2015). Because of the continuity of the West African coast, on the one hand, and the need for information on the state of the regional fisheries potential, on the other, the Programme also covers non member countries (Mauritania, Gambia, Guinea and Ghana). The vessels of the Dakar and Conakry oceanographic research centres were selected to conduct these fish stocks assessment campaigns. A website for small scale, maritime, and inland fishing statistics is to be supplied with data on the member States' fisheries. A list of indicators and a strategy for the framework surveys to be carried out under the Programme have been drawn up and adopted. In practice, the implementation of these initiatives is encountering serious difficulties. These difficulties may be administrative in nature, associated with the priorities of successive governments, or due to the lack of cooperation among member States in connection with joint surveillance measures or to a shortage of qualified personnel, financial resources and equipment for implementation purposes.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/362 |
S-IV§17 |
The West African Economic and Monetary Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Mining |
Relevant information
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All the member States have brought themselves into conformity with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) , apart from Benin (which has no mining industry) and Guinea Bissau. This should help to improve the management of mining revenue and ensure that there is greater transparency in the awarding of contracts, and that mechanisms are put in place to manage mining income so that it benefits the population as a whole. Unfortunately, the management of small scale mining operations and, in particular, panning for gold lies outside the control of the EITI, despite the fact that exports of gold – mostly the product of non industrial mining – account for one fifth of the Union's total exports (Table 4.2), with disastrous human and environmental consequences. The community Mining Code was being revised in 2017 in order to take these concerns into account.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/362 |
S-IV§23 |
The West African Economic and Monetary Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
Loans and financing |
Energy |
Relevant information
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As pointed out by UNIDO, the high cost of electrical energy, the difficulties of access and power cuts are acting as "a real brake on the competitiveness of the industrial sector". To extricate themselves from this energy crisis, the member States have envisaged several solutions at regional level, as described in a Regional Sustainable Energy Initiative (IRED) published in 2008 and designed to make it possible to cover all the region's electricity requirements by 2030. The IRED programme is based on a four pronged strategy, namely: (a) to develop a diversified, competitive and sustainable energy supply; (b) to introduce a regional plan for managing electrical energy consumption; (c) to speed up the emergence of a West African electricity market; and (d) to introduce a financing mechanism for the energy sector, the Energy Development Fund (FDE), intended to support the IRED during its start up phase. This fund received an initial endowment of CFAF 250 billion (€380 million), all of which had been spent on 14 projects in May 2017.
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/362 |
S-IV§25 |
The West African Economic and Monetary Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
General environmental reference |
Energy, Manufacturing, Other, Services |
Relevant information
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The IRED (Regional Sustainable Energy Initiative) emergency programme is based on three essential components: a programme to improve the electrical power supply (thermal generation and network interconnection); a regional energy saving programme that will enable WAEMU to implement energy efficiency measures for government services, households and industry, including the distribution of low energy light bulbs; and ensure better governance of the electrical energy sector in terms of the quality of national electricity company management and regulation.
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Keywords
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Secretariat TPR |
WT/TPR/S/362 |
S-Table-IV.6 |
The West African Economic and Monetary Union |
2017 |
Sectors |
Other measures |
Services |
Relevant information
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Table 4.6 Ratification of the maritime conventions by the member States, May 2017
Convention/country Benin Burkina Faso Côte d'Ivoire Guinea-Bissau Mali Niger Senegal Togo
(...)
MARPOL Convention (on prevention of pollution) n.a. n.a. Yes n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
(...)
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