The National Assembly has ratified the Economic Partnership Agreement - EPA, with the European Union. The EPA agreement will allow Namibia to export its produce to European Union members duty free. Before the ratification, some parliamentarians expressed concerns about the EPA and the negative effects it might have on the local economy. DTA President McHenry Venanni welcomed the agreement, saying it ushered in a new beginning of increasing Namibia's chances of trading internationally. He therefore called on the Government to grant loans to local producers to enable the country to meet its quota requirements with the EU. ICT Minister Tjekero Tweya stressed the need to re-organise local industries to fully benefit from the agreement. Funding, technical assistance and training would be needed to empower local businesses to meet EU standards. The EU has signed an agreement with the SADC-EPA Group comprising Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland. Six other SADC members -- the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe - are still negotiating with the EU.