European legislators have ratified an Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Southern African Development Community, or SADC, as it is more commonly known. That deal covers South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho. Before approving the agreement in Strasbourg, France, debate was torn on how much the deal favoured the EU at the expense of the African countries. The EU's commissioner on trade said the deal has been negotiated to benefit African countries too
