ReSAKSS Issue Brief Assesses Impact of COMESA Customs Union
Sat, 02/27/2010


ReSAKSS Issue Brief No. 18

ReSAKSS Issue Brief number 18 provides a quantitative assessment of the potential impacts of the formation of a COMESA customs union, specifically of having free trade among COMESA countries while imposing a common external tariff against imports from outside COMESA. 

Contrary to the expectations, the study reveals that the proposed COMESA customs union will not be beneficial to a majority of the member countries. These quantitative results are based on the tariff changes that will occur with the adoption of the CET and do not take into account other non-readily quantifiable aspects of the customs union which could potentially provide greater benefits to the countries involved and that would need to be satisfied before the COMESA customs union becomes welfare improving for member countries. 

Download the issue brief here. The brief is based on ReSAKSS Working Paper number 30. 

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