Southern African Customs Union (SACU) |ForumIAS

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News: India has signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) for negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with SACU.

About Southern African Customs Union (SACU)

Southern African Customs Union (SACU) is an African regional economic organisation and the world’s oldest customs union.
Established: It was established in 1910 and re-established in 1969.
Members: It comprises South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) and Lesotho.
Headquarters: It’s headquarters is located in Windhoek, Namibia.
Key Features:
- Function: The five members share customs revenues and coordinate trade policies and decision-making.
- Common Customs Territory: It allows the free movement of goods among member states without internal tariffs.
- Common External Tariff: A Common External Tariff (CET) applies to goods imported from territories outside SACU.
- Regional Linkage: All SACU members also participate in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

India has signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) for negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) with SACU.
Key Areas: The proposed PTA will cover eight broad subject areas, including trade in goods, market access, customs, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, trade remedies, technical barriers to trade, rules of origin and dispute settlement.