EU signs trade pact with southeast African nations (AP)

[pampango]

"The European Union signed a temporary trade pact Saturday with Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe and Madagascar calling for tariffs on European goods to be removed over the next 15 years.

The four countries in southeast Africa have had full access to the EU consumer market — the world's biggest — since the start of 2008 for most goods. Trade barriers for rice and sugar, however, are being removed gradually."

"Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Malawi and Sudan, which have been negotiating a regional trade pact, may also join the EU accord. As poor developing nations they currently do not pay tariffs on exports to the EU."

"The European Union imported some euro3.2 billion ($4.6 billion) of goods from eastern and southern Africa last year, mostly textiles, clothes, sugar, fish products and copper. European exports — mostly mechanical and electrical machinery and vehicles — were worth euro4.3 billion ($6.18 billion)."
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Sounds like African exports - other than rice and sugar (for which tariffs are being phased out) - get into Europe without tariffs, since they are coming from developing nations. That sounds like the kind of access to the markets of the developed world that Obama was talking about when he was in Africa. Since Europe is a lot closer to Africa, I'm glad they are keeping their market open to African exports.