STP does not belong to any international or regional trade block or free trade area. However, STP is currently negotiating an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union. As a signatory of the Cotonou Agreement, STP products are eligible to access the EU market duty free or with reduced duties under the Tudo Menos Armas “Everything But Arms” Agreement. STP also qualifies for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
STP is among the 54 African Nations that signed an agreement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in March 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda, and became the 25th African country ratifying the AfCFTA in June 2019.
STP is an observer member of Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and STP has been considering becoming a full member. The country is economically linked to CEMAC through a trade agreement signed in 2004 under the ongoing negotiation of Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU.
STP also participates in the regional integration projects under Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), of which the archipelago is a full member. The components of these regional integration projects are mainly commercial and economic.
The archipelago also has several smaller-scale bilateral trade preference agreements.
Resources
Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Legal Texts and Policy Documents: