DRC-BURUNDI TRADE COOPERATION OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE SYMPLIFIED COMMERCIAL REGIME- RECOS IN KAVIMVIRA- GATUMBA
A real sigh of relief for small traders and populations living on the borders between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, the Simplified Commercial Regime-RECOS was officially launched this Wednesday at the border posts of Kavimvira and Gatumba by the Congolese Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya and the Burundian Minister of Commerce, Industry, Transport and Tourism, Marie-Chantal Nijimbere.
The final press release signed by these two Ministers lists 66 products which are concerned by this Simplified Commercial Regime-RECOS which now simplifies customs clearance procedures and reduces the cost of commercial transactions, thus allowing small cross-border traders to benefit from customs duties, but also from rapid and clear passage.
The launch of RECOS strengthens commercial and economic cooperation between the Republic and Burundi as desired by Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Evariste Ndayishimiye, said Julien Paluku Kahongya.
By instructing the services working at the borders on the Congolese side to properly apply the RECOS, the Minister of Foreign Trade announced that he has just suspended for Burundi only the measure prohibiting the temporary importation of a few products including beers and soft drinks, only products of Burundian origin which are concerned, he added.
A decision highly welcomed by the Burundian Minister of Commerce, Industry, Transport and Tourism, Marie-Chantal Nijimbere, very proud of the implementation of the Simplified Commercial Regime-RECOS.
Very relieved, the small traders through their representatives threw flowers to the Congolese and Burundian Government.
It was also an opportunity for the FEC South Kivu and the Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burundi to plead for the establishment of a joint committee to monitor the implementation of this simplified Commercial Regime-RECOS.
Note that the two Ministers visited the infrastructures at the common borders and discovered the model of the infrastructures which will be built including the one-stop ports and markets as part of the Trade Facilitation and Integration Project in the GREAT LAKES Region.
PFCIGL with the support of the World Bank, the European Union and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa-COMESA congratulated by the two Governments
