Implementation of Cameroon-EU EPA: Customs DG tasks collaborators to ease procedures, facilitate trade….

Fongod was speaking on Wednesday, July 30, while presiding a meeting of the EPA Subcommittee on Customs and Trade Facilitation. 

The meeting took place at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Customs in Yaounde. He said the session was a key highlight of the country’s ongoing trade partnership with the European Union under the Economic Partnership Agreement.

The Customs boss is further quoted as having noted that the meeting was a strategic platform for the Customs department to deepen dialogue with European partners to ensure that trade flows are facilitated.

Fongod, reports hold, also said the Subcommittee ensures that rules governing origin and customs administration are uniformly understood and implemented.

At the end of the meeting, participants are expected to produce a comprehensive draft work schedule. 

This, sources hinted, will focus on priority topics. They are also expected to draft supplementary texts defining he Subcommittee’s organization and functioning.

According to officials of the Customs Department, the Subcommittee, which was officially established by Decision No. 2/2025 of the EPA Committee on June 4, 2025, plays a pivotal role.

It is said to have been active in steering discussions and actions around customs procedures, trade facilitation, rules of origin, and mutual administrative assistance.

Yesterday’s session, we gathered, came on the heels of a technical working meeting which held on Monday July 28 and brought together senior customs officials.

Unlike Monday’s gathering, Wednesday’s meeting is said to have included a broader range of institutional actors. 

These included, officials from the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development; Ministry of Trade; the Chamber of Commerce and the Directorate General of Taxes.

There were also officials from the Technical Secretariat of the Implementation Monitoring Committee, SYNDUSTRICAM, and other stakeholders involved in Cameroon’s deal with EU within the EPA.

What Chapter 3 of Title III entails 

According to officials, the Subcommittee has been tasked with monitoring the implementation of Chapter 3 of Title III of the EPA.

The chapter is said to focus on customs procedures and trade facilitation. It also oversees the application of the rules of origin protocol and promotes closer cooperation between the parties, officials noted.

Areas of concern are said to be customs legislation, administrative assistance, and technical dialogue. Beyond serving as a consultation forum, the Subcommittee is said to be responsible for following up on the recommendations of the ninth statutory session of the Cameroon-EU EPA Committee, held in Yaounde on June 4 and 5 this year.

Among the outcomes of that meeting was a decision to launch a technical dialogue platform between the two sides in the second half of September 2025.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3520 of Thursday July 31, 2025