National Assembly – Government Tables Bill on Revised CEMAC Treaty

Godlove Bainkong

19 June 2011

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly will in the days ahead examine a government bill No. 889/PJL/AN authorising the President of the Republic to ratify the Revised Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) Treaty and its related Conventions. It seeks to foster integration and the Community’s development, described variously as a guarantee of growth in the Central African sub-region. The bill was presented to Members of Parliament during a plenary session last Friday June 17. The first part of the plenary session was meant for Members of Government to give answers to the concerns of MPs on burning issues of national life whereas the brief second part was presentation of the bill. The session was preceded by a Chairmen’s Conference during which the bill was admitted.

Going by the explanatory statement of the bill, the Revised Treaty includes new principles to help strengthen sub-regional integration. It is supplemented by the conventions governing the Central African Monetary Union, Central African Economic Union, Community Court of Justice, Community Parliament and Community Audit Court.

The ratification of these legal instruments, the statement further adds, will help to demonstrate Cameroon’s resolve to achieve Central Africa’s integration in conjunction with countries of the sub-region and increase its market size by playing a leading economic role in an integrated market. It will also strengthen and consolidate monetary cooperation between Member States, harmonise the functioning of CEMAC banking, monetary and financial institutions, contribute to maintaining and consolidating balanced community justice as well as ensure a sound and efficient management of the different Community bodies.

According to a schedule of the August House, the MPs will this afternoon, in a plenary, adopt a government bill, Bill No. 887/PJL/AN, authorising the President of the Republic to ratify the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between Cameroon and the European Union on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber and its by-products with the European Union (FLEGT VPA). The bill was already scrutinised by the Foreign Affairs Committee.

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