ARUSHA, TANZANIA- East African Community (EAC) partner states that fail to implement resolutions in the implementation of the political federation process and the Treaty Establishing the EAC should face sanctions, a team of experts has recommended.
"EAC partner states should ensure that the federation process is implemented through a rational road map with clear benchmarks, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms including sanctions in case of non-compliance," according to a report of the team of experts on addressing the fears, concerns and challenges of the East African Federation.
The report published recently, says the decision making process in the EAC is set out in the various articles of the treaty.
"However, the most fundamental decisions and commitments of the community remain unimplemented, this reflects the absence of a mechanism to enforce compliance and lack of sanctions for non-performance of commitments made by partner states," said the report.
The experts called for establishment of a regional mechanism with appropriate political authority to ensure effective implementation.
They urged partner states to evaluate the level of attainment of the EAC objectives in order to inform a realistic roadmap towards the realization of the community and the Federation.
"These should be popularized, debated and owned by the citizenry of East Africa. It is only then that a political federation will be seen as a strategic necessity," they say in the report.
The report released in Bujumbura, Burundi says there is need to shift focus from discussion of fears, concerns and challenges and adjusts the balance of emphasis to opportunities and benefits of deepening integration.
The report calls for a comprehensive reform of organs and institutions of the EAC to improve effectiveness of decision making and implementation of decisions and commitments.
This, the report adds, should be done by establishing the EA Customs Authority for the Customs Union that should be manned by competent executive and professional staff.
It also calls for the establishment of an EA Common Market Authority with adequate powers for monitoring and enforcement and a politically managed EA Commission for an EA Economic Union Authority.
There should also be the EA Monetary Authority that would work towards an EA Central bank for the monetary union and a unified federal treasury for the federation.
The report also points out that the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) should act as the guarantor of compliance with the Treaty together with the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) which has a political representation and oversight mandate.
"Appropriate mechanisms and frameworks should be put in place to nurture soft instruments for integration such as the EAC scholarships, sports’ leagues and cultural ties for including mainstreaming the East African identity and making the integration truly people-centred," adds the report.
The report explains that there is need to go beyond rhetoric and establish policies and mechanisms at national and regional level to centre the people into the integration process.
"Priority should be to strengthen the role of EALA as the EAC organ with the mandate to represent the people and strengthen its link to the citizens of East Africa as one way to build the legitimacy and relevance of the EAC to address fears of the people about the inadequate participation and representation in regional decision making."
It also recommends that the funding mechanism for the community should be reformed to enable ease of access to funds and inclusion of pro-people and poverty alleviation initiatives in form of programmes and projects for the productive and social sectors.
"This way the EAC will become visible and relevant to the people but will also become a comprehensive and implementable EAC Information, Education and Communication (EIC) is required,"
It says in order to enhance the process of regional integration, all the partner states should implement the provisions of Article 8(4) and (5) of the Treaty to confer "precedence of community organs, institutions and laws over similar national ones", it recommends.
"Failure to operationalize Article 8 of the Treaty leads directly to the watered-down pursuit of coordination and cooperation in sectors like foreign policy, trade promotion and defence when the premise of the Treaty was for a convergence reflected on common policy in macro-economic, defence, foreign and productive sectors," the report explains.
The report also asked the Heads of State Summit to give direction on the process of consolidating national sovereignty to become one international sovereign state.
"Specific attention should be given way forward on two critical issues pertaining to the establishment of the federation that include military integration and ceding national sovereignty to become one international sovereign state," says the report.
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