The EAC Secretariat has learnt of a notice for a public hearing by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) scheduled on 13th July 2017 in regard to a petition made on 21st March 2017 by the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) requesting for an out-of-cycle review to determine whether the Republic of Kenya, Republic of Rwanda, United Republic of Tanzania, and Republic of Uganda are meeting the AGOA eligibility criteria. 

The EAC is a regional integration bloc comprising of six Partner States of which the four countries indicated in the petition are active members. Since 2005 and 2010 the EAC has been implementing a Customs Union and Common Market respectively, whereby the trade policies and regimes have been harmonized. Given the common trade implementation framework that is engrained in the common EAC Protocols and laws, the EAC Secretariat feels obliged as a key stakeholder to provide a response and clarification to the petition as required in the notice for public hearing.