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**Hugh** · 08-01-2019, 08:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by pip08456

I didn't know the EU had a trade deal with Kenya? Where did that one come from.

I'm sure the UK could make one reasonably quickly to secure the continued benefit of their tea industry. Possibly the same with India perhaps to a lesser extent.

It's amazing how remainers keep going on about the EU being the better trading block without considering how much the UK currently imports from outside of the EU and did so before membership.

Tea is a classic example of that ( we are the "nation of tea drinkers").

I may have to stockpile coffee though, but beer's always an alternative.

https://www.statista.com/chart/13062...tea-come-from/

Did you mean this one?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45342607

Quote:

None of the three countries the prime minister is visiting - South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya - are on that United Nations list of LDCs. That is probably one of the reasons she chose them. They are bigger economic players and there is more to be gained from commercial relations with them.

But all three of them do get some degree of relief from EU trade tariffs.
There is an arrangement that covers other developing countries beyond the LDCs. It's known as the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). Other rich countries, including the US and Japan operate their own GSPs.

The EU's version applies to Nigeria and has benefited Kenya but does not cover South Africa.

It doesn't open the tariff-free gates as wide as EBA does. The EU says it gives tariff-free access for 57% of products and reduced rates for most of the rest. But the minority of goods still subject to full tariffs are often farm produce.
Both the Everything but Arms and the Generalised System of Preferences are unilateral. The EU simply lowers or eliminates tariffs and the partner country is under no obligation to reciprocate and cut their own tariffs on imports from the EU.

But there are wider deals known as Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA). These go further and also mean a country like Kenya opening its market to the EU, though not as much as the EU does.

Kenya is part of an EPA through an East African regional group. Kenya has duty-free access on an interim basis until three other countries in the group sign and ratify it so the agreement comes into full effect.