Nairobi — The East African Community (EAC) Heads of State have commended Kenya and Uganda for providing extra budgetary support to aid consultations on EAC the proposed political confederation.
During the final day of the 23rd Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State in Arusha on Friday, the Summit also recognized South Sudan pledged contribution of USD500,000 and applauded Tanzania's commitment to support the process.
The Summit challenged the partner states that are yet to conclude the process to do so by the end of May 2024.
"The EAC Summit urged the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to conclude the consultations process by 30th may 2024," Burundi's President Évariste Ndayishimiye (Summit Chairperson) said when he conveyed the outcomes of the meeting in a joint communique.
It also called on the partner states that have not submitted the names of constitutional experts to do so by December 31, 2023 to expedite progress.
A comprehensive roadmap for the expeditious conclusion of the political confederation process was also adopted during the Summit.
The Political Confederation is a transitional model of the EAC Political Federation.
Talks complete in Kenya, Uganda, Burundi
On May 20, 2017, the 18th Summit of EAC Heads of State adopted and directed the Council of Ministers to Constitute a Team of Constitutional Experts to Draft the Constitution for the Political Confederation.
Subsequently, the Council appointed the constitutional experts in January 2019.
The Team is comprised of two Constitutional Experts and one Constitution Drafting Expert from each Partner State.
Kenya, Burundi, and Uganda have already successfully concluded their respective processes.
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The Political Confederation, the fourth stage after the Customs Union, Common Market, and Monetary Union, is the ultimate goal of the EAC Regional Integration.
It is based on three pillars: common foreign and security policies, good governance, and the effective implementation of the prior stages of Regional Integration, as outlined in Article 5(2) of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.
The EAC, consisting of seven partner countries - Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania, headquartered in Arusha, Tanzania - welcomed Somalia as the eighth member after the Summit approved its bid to join the bloc on Friday.
The Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community was signed in Arusha on November 30, 1999, and entered into force on July 7, 2000, following the successful ratification process and deposit of the Instruments of Ratification by the three founding Partner States at the time.
