Afropa-Cristina trade proposal

[Cristina]

From: Adriana Monadic, Minister of State of the Kingdom of Cristina

To: Dr. Tim Murithi, Secretary of State of Democratic Republic of @Afropa

Salutations, Signore Secretary. May peace be upon you and your nation.

Trade can and should always be a win-win process and what the Cristinese envisions shows just that. The Democratic Republic of Afropa and the Kingdom of Cristina working together and reaching a mutually beneficial outcome. We can do it as partners who are willing to discuss, to defend their interests while at the same time being willing to compromise to meet each other's expectations. With this in mind, Cristina invites Afropa to join the growing list of partners willing to work with the Free Port of Cristina in defending open, fair and rules-based trade.

In less than fifteen years the Kingdom of Cristina has delivered a deal fit for the economic and political challenges of the 21st century. We now open a new chapter in our long and fruitful economic policies, boosting trade and creating jobs. An agreement between noir two nations also sends a strong message to other partners that it is possible to modernise existing trade relations when both partners share a clear belief in the merits of openness, and of free and fair trade.

Our commitment is to deliver benefits for our citizens at home through closer cooperation with our partners abroad. We are sure that a Cristina-Afropa deal will be very positive for our agri-food sector, creating new export opportunities for our high-quality food and drink products, which in turn will create support more jobs and growth, particularly in rural areas of Afropa.

Once finalised and approved – it would benefit both companies and consumers across Europa and advance a mutually beneficial values-based trade policy agenda. The agreement in principle may bring the Cristina's trade relationship with Azanian countries into the modern era, tearing down most of the remaining barriers to trade. There is still a wide margin for improving the trade relationship that a new agreement may address, by making virtually all trade in goods duty-free.

In principle, our proposal includes the most important elements of possible future agreement. In some chapters, technical details still need to be tied up. Based on its principle, negotiators from both sides will continue their work to resolve the remaining technical issues and finalise the full legal text for the next months. Then, a Commission can proceed with the legal verification and translation of the agreement into all official languages, and subsequently submit it for approval by the partners' legislative bodies.

The main elements of the agreement as we envision it are:

1) Agricultural exports from Afropa are set to benefit the most. The agreement will, in particular provide preferential access for many Afropan commodities, which currently are gaining significant new access within annual quotas; secure a considerable volume for the exports in one of the largest Europan markets, allowing Afropa to substantially increase its commodities exports to Cristina, with duty-free trade for virtually all products; eliminate tariffs for products like chocolate (currently up to 20%) and pasta (currently up to 10%); ensure the protection from imitation for 340 distinctive Europan foods and drink products in Afropa, so-called geographical indications. This means that Cristinese and other Europan producers of traditional delicacies are not struggling against copies, and when consumers buy these products they can do so knowing they are buying the real thing. When it comes to customs procedures, the new agreement will bring in new rules to simplify and speed up paperwork and physical checks at Afropan customs.

2) The agreement will include a comprehensive trade and sustainable development chapter, which sets the highest standards of labour, safety, environmental and consumer protection; introduces a new dialogue with civil society in all areas of the agreement, strengthens the Cristina and Afropa's actions on sustainable development and climate change, notably the obligations both sides undertook under international agreements on climate change; and maintains and fully safeguards both nation's right to organise public services the way they choose.

The agreement may also include an explicit reference to the precautionary principle that, already enshrined in Cristinese treaties, allows the Kingdom of Cristina to keep products out of its market as long as there is no scientific certainty that they are safe.

If in place it will also be the very first Cristinese trade agreement to include provisions to fight corruption, with measures to act against bribery and money laundering. The agreement may also cover the protection of human rights, as well as chapters on political and development cooperation.

3) The agreement may be a big step forward in giving companies mutual access to government contracts in both the Cristina and Afropa public procurement markets. Afropan and Cristinese companies will be placed on an equal footing, irrespective of whether they present a bid in Cristina or in Afropa. Cristina has also committed itself to enter into negotiations with Afropa to allow Afropan firms to tender for contracts at State level by the time the agreement is signed.

4) This opening goes hand in hand with setting a level playing-field: we propose a high level of protection of intellectual property rights. This is to protect Cristinese research and development and guarantees fair pay for Cristinese and Afropan artists, as well as the 340 traditional Cristinese delicacies mentioned above.

5) The new agreement may open up trade in services, such as financial services, transport, e-commerce, and telecommunications. The agreement will also help develop an favourable environment for a knowledge-based economy, with a new chapter on digital trade. This will remove unnecessary barriers to online trade, like charging customs duties when downloading an app, and will put in place clear rules to protect consumers online.

6) On investment protection, the agreement improves investment conditions and includes the Cristina's new Cristinese Trade and Investment Promotion Institute - IPCI, ensuring transparency and the right of governments to regulate in the public interest, and will also ensure that Afropa and the Cristina work towards the setting up of a Multilateral Investment Court.

We expect that negotiations for a new agreement with Afropa starts soon, based on negotiating directives conducted according to the high transparency standards. In addition to close scrutiny from International Councils and Trade Organisations, we expect that Afropa and Cristina ensure access to information about the progress in the negotiations by publishing regular reports from the negotiating rounds, as well as negotiating proposals.

Overall, an agreement will strengthen Europa's role in shaping globalisation by putting in place trade rules that are in line with the Europa''s core values and safeguard our nation's interests and sensitivities. In doing so, it will contribute to addressing challenges identified in both Afropan and Cristinese recent history.

May the trade pillar set the framework for Cristina's relationship with Afropa and covers issues of broader shared interest that go beyond trade, including political issues, climate change and human rights.

Regards,

Adriana Galini Monadic

Minister of State

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Ooc: I know Afropa has been inactive here, but this trade proposal is something I was planning to play with him sometime ago. I hope he come back someday soon.

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by Cristina (see edit history)