Ministers responsible for East African Community affairs on Thursday started a meeting in Arusha, Tanzania with the longstanding problem of member states that default on their financial obligations high on agenda, among others.

Last week, the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) tasked the Council of Ministers, the central decision-making and governing organ of the EAC, to urgently address the issue of partner states that default on payment of membership contributions.

On Thursday, a ministerial session is set to receive the report of the EAC Audit Commission and the annual report of the EAC Audit and Risk Committee for the for the financial year 2017/18.

Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda's Minister of State in charge of the East African Community, who will chair the ministerial sessions, flew to Arusha Wednesday night.

He told The New Times that: "It's an ordinary meeting of the Sectoral Council and extraordinary meeting of the Council. It will consider a wide range of issues, including the status of contributions and action that must be taken against defaulting countries.

"We are also expected to adopt the report of the Ad Hoc EAC Service Commission on the institutional reform of organs and institutions of the Community.

The ongoing deliberations are part of the 30th meeting of the sectoral council of ministers responsible for EAC affairs and planning. The meetings underway early this week in Arusha with the session of senior officials, which ended Tuesday.

On Saturday, there will be a session of Ministers to consider the report of the EAC AD HOC Service Commission on Workload analysis and job evaluation.

The ministers will, among others, consider progress on the status of implementation of the EAC Common Market; status of EAC integration; consideration of the global and sector-specific priorities for the financial year 2020/21; and terms of reference for the formulation of the sixth EAC development strategy.

They will also consider a report of Chiefs of Immigration and Directors of Labor; a report on political affairs, progress on the COMESA-EAC-SADC tripartite free trade area negotiations; proposal for the establishment of a regional procurement web portal; and the revised concept note on the EAC 20th-anniversary observance.