The rationale for the creation of a Tripartite Free Trade Area is based on the following issues: o It addresses issue of overlapping membership; o It forms a building block towards eventual African economic integration as envisaged by the Abuja Treaty of the African Union; o It creates a better opportunity to expand market access for South African products on the continent, while preserving South Africa's market space; and o However, it will also enable greater competition with other strong economies in the regions such as Kenya and Egypt. The Second Tripartite Summit officially launched the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area (FTA). During the negotiations on 12 June 2011 in Johannesburg, the Summit endorsed the pillars of tripartite integration, namely (i) market integration; (ii) infrastructure development; and (iii) industrial development. It endorsed the Tripartite FTA Negotiating Principles, Processes and Institutional Framework, and agreed that the negotiations on the movement of business persons, as well as the work programmes on infrastructure and industrial development would be undertaken concurrently on separate tracks during Phase I. It further noted that the time-frames may run concurrently rather than sequentially on the basis that some programmes would be ongoing and could therefore be pursued simultaneously.