The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
The European Union Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Jobst von Kirchmann has said the bloc’s maiden exhibition at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) has been historic as they continue to forge strong alliances with Zimbabwe in various sectors.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday afternoon Mr von Kirchmann said trade and investment are key aspects of the EU’s relationship with Zimbabwe.
“We have participated occasionally a long time ago but never exhibited. We have a stand that is 33 metres long, the reason for this is that on one end we are 27 member states some of them you see here, notably France, Netherlands, Italy, and Sweden are here. Secondly, trade and investment with Zimbabwe really matter to us and that is why we wanted to show that this kind of event is a very important event and we believe that this is shared by the Zimbabwean side that we could do much more than we are currently doing,” said Amb von Kirchmann.
Currently, the main trading partners, have an annual volume of USD$700 million and the EU buys a lot of horticulture products from Zimbabwe.
“We sell machinery and I believe that we can do so much more to work together, and for that, we need to work together so that people know what it means to export to the EU market. so that people know what it means to export to the EU market. We need to have access to finance and we hope the different initiatives that we are undertaking under NDS1 and under the areas clearance process, we will see a more prosperous business climate and that attracts a lot of European businesses,” he said.
With a trade volume of US$700 Million, the European Union is a major trading partner of Zimbabwe and it is the number one destination for Zimbabwe’s horticultural exports. Amb von Kirchmann said 42 percent of Zimbabwe’s horticulture exports went into the EU in 2021.
“The top three of these horticultural products are citrus, leguminous vegetable, and cut flowers. The EU sells machinery and chemical imports to Zimbabwe that support local industry by encouraging greater efficiency in processing in agricultural production, transport, tea, and leather processing sectors,” he said.
Through its participation at the ZITF, the EU Delegation will have the opportunity to highlight some of these efforts, such as the Technical Assistance to the Zimbabwe Economic Partnership Agreement (TAZEPA), a provided €10 million to this project aiming at enhancing Zimbabwe’s integration into the regional and international trading system.
On a global level, by playing a key role as co-chairperson of the good governance track in the ongoing Arrears Clearance and Debt Resolution high-level dialogue process, the EU is supporting Zimbabwe’s efforts in creating a more conducive business environment.
The EU said its presence at the ZITF is part of a broader effort to accompany Zimbabwe in its shared goal of increasing trade and supporting local economic development. The EU has a long history of supporting Zimbabwean trade, which includes preferential trade access to the markets of 27 countries of the European Union in a duty-free and quota-free manner, since May 2012.
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