Parliamentarians from member states of the ECOWAS countries have expressed their opposition to the much talked about Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), which is due to be signed by 1st January 2008 between the European Union and the African Caribbean Pacific Countries, calling for an extension of the negotiation period.

According to the National Assembly Member for Serre Kunda West, Hon. Sulayman Joof, who led the Gambian delegation to the just concluded second ordinary session of the ECOWAS Parliament, the Economic Partnership Agreements, which aim, among others, at giving priority to development and poverty reduction, co-operation on trade-related issues, deepening the West African integration process and improving the competitiveness and market access for West African products, is too premature for African countries to adopt as there are so many things to be looked at. “Rather than asking individual countries to negotiate, we want the whole block to negotiate as one in order to foster integration,” Hon. Joof said, adding that ECOWAS is still insisting on negotiating rather than signing.

“ECOWAS,” he went on, “have assured its parliamentarians of its resolve to take the lead and there was no need to fear as they will make sure that all the development dimensions are looked at.”

Hon. Sellu Bah of Basse, who is also a member of ECOWAS Parliament, called for an extension of the negotiations to allow countries to have clear information with regard to the EPAs.

“Going in for the EPAs in their current form will lead countries, particularly The Gambia, into great loss,” he opined.

The Economic Partnership Agreements, according to studies, would force Gambians to loose about US $ 40.7million or D1.14 billion in annual customs revenue which, when compared to the pre-EPA customs duty revenue of US $ 44.55million, represents a significant loss of 91 percent.

A report by a Principal Economist of the Department of State for Trade, Industry and Employment, Mr Lamin Dampha, has disclosed that the issues at stake for The Gambia in the EPA negotiations include problems affecting the groundnut exports of the European Union markets, enhancing the competitiveness of the domestic industries and significant loss of revenue.

On the way forward with regards to the alternatives to the EPAs for The Gambia, Mr. Dampha said the suggestion is to totally refuse to sign the EPAs and then live with the EPA for Least Developed Countries and let the developing countries compete with the rest of the world. Other members in the delegation included minority leader Momodou L. Sanneh, Lower Baddibu’s Suku Signateh and Haddy Nyang Jagne of Jeshwang Constituency.