Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) / Communaute Economique des Etats d’Afrique Centrale (CEEAC)

CONTACT DETAILS

BP 2112, Libreville, Gabon
Tel +241-73 3547/8

Website: http://www.ceeac-eccas.org

HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS

At a summit meeting in December 1981, the leaders of the Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC) agreed in principle to form a wider economic community of Central African states. ECCAS was established on 18 October 1983 by the UDEAC members and the members of the Economic Community of the Great Lakes States (CEPGL) (Burundi, Rwanda and the then Zaire) as well as Sao Tome and Principe. ECCAS began operations in 1985, but has been inactive since 1992, mainly due to the non-payment of membership fees by the member states.

ECCAS aims to promote regional economic co-operation and establish a Central African Common Market. The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a divisive factor in CEEAC since Rwanda and Angola back opposing sides.

Presided over by President Pierre Buyoya of Burundi, the 2nd Extra-Ordinary Summit of ECCAS was held in Libreville on 6 February 1998. The summit was convened to re-launch the activities of ECCAS and the Heads of State/Government present at the summit committed themselves to the resurrection of the organisation. Angola also indicated that it would become a fully-fledged member in 1999 (Angola has had observer status since the organisation was formed in 1984).

At a summit conference of the United Nations’ Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa which took place in Yaoundé on 25-26 February 1999, member states decided to create an organisation for the promotion, maintenance and consolidation of peace and security in Central Africa, which would be called the Council for Peace and Security in Central Africa (COPAX).

ECCAS has been designated a pillar of the African Economic Community (AEC) but formal contact between the AEC and ECCAS has not yet been established due to the latter’s inactivity since 1992. The other pillars are the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Common Market for Eastern and Southern African (COMESA), Southern African Development Community (SADC), and Arab Maghreb Union (AMU).

RELEVANT TREATIES/PROTOCOLS ETC

Treaty establishing the African Economic Community
Protocol on Relations between the African Economic Community and Regional Economic Communities

GENERAL COMMENTS

No contact with South Africa.