- CARIFORUM -
last update : May 2010
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EPA Negotiations: Where do we stand? - CARIFORUM - last update : May 2010 |
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State of play
The Caribbean is the only region to have signed a comprehensive regional EPA with the EU so far.
All CARIFORUM countries (except Haiti) signed the EPA with the EU in October 2008. The latter agreement has been notified to the WTO and has (since 29 December 2008) been applied provisionally during the process of ratification by the European Parliament and Caribbean and EU national parliaments. The European Parliament gave its formal approval ("assent") to the conclusion of the agreement on 25 March 2009. On 11 December 2009, Haiti (only LDC country in the Caribbean configuration) finally signed the EPA, after the country had suggested to adjust some of its commitments on tariffs included in the EPA - a request which was approved by the EC. (Read the EC Press Release)
In terms of implementation, the first Joint Cariforum-EU EPA Council of Ministers was held at the margin of the EU-LAC summit of Madrid in May 2010. The meeting adopted the Rules of Procedure of the Joint Council and endorsed a proposal designating Minister McClean (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados and Chair of CARIFORUM) as CARIFORUM’s “High Representative” to the European Commission. Minister McClean shall hold this position until December 2011.
To channel resources for EPA support, the CARICOM Development Fund has commenced full operations on 24 August 2009.
.-> For details on current developments, please consult our monthly EPA negotiations update
CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement
Text of the agreement:
Economic Partnership Agreement between the CARIFORUM states, on the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, on the other part, published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 30 October 2008 FR
Summary of the agreement:
"On December 16 the European Commission initialled an Economic Partnership Agreement with Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Surinam, and Trinidad and Tobago (the CARIFORUM countries) covering all areas under negotiations.
Goods liberalization
The coverage of goods liberalised by CARIFORUM countries under this Agreement amounts to 61.1% of EC imports in value over 10 years, 82.7% over 15 years (85.1 % of tariff lines) and 86.9 % over 25 years (90.7 % of tariff lines).
The main exclusions are agricultural and processed agricultural products; some chemicals, furniture and other industrial products.
The Agreement covers all provisions necessary for a FTA agreement, such as provisions on import and export duties and charges, non-tariff measures, trade defence instruments (anti-dumping and countervailing measures, multilateral and bilateral safeguards), special provisions on administrative cooperation in custom matters, a protocol on rules of origin.
Services liberalization
The Agreement includes a Title on Services, Investment and E-commerce and the related schedules of commitments, which give rise to an agreement compatible with GATS article V. The sectoral coverage is significant with more than 80 percent for Dominican Republic , and between 50 to 62 percent of services sectors for all others except Haiti and Bahamas who will join the services and investment part of the agreement within 6 months. On the EC side, there are important new commitments in the areas of movement of service providers (sellers of goods, investors, short term business visitors, graduate trainees), as well as for entertainers, artists, chefs de cuisine and fashion models.
Beyond market access the Agreement contains significant regulatory principles in a number of sectors, in particular tourism at the request of Cariforum, to help them develop competitive services sectors and ensure benefits for the region and its citizens. In addition the EPA includes provisions to cooperate against corrupt practices of investors, as well as binding provisions on non-lowering of standards in the environmental and social fields and for cultural diversity laws and regulations.
Finally the EPA also incorporates the first Protocol on culture implementing the UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity and providing Cariforum artists with easier movement of persons and co-production market access.
Other features
The Agreement contains provisions on Customs and Trade Facilitation, Technical Barriers to Trade, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, Agriculture and Fisheries, Current Payment and Capital Movements, Competition, Innovation and Intellectual Property, Public Procurement, Environment and Social Aspects. Part I of the Agreement contains Development Cooperation provisions setting out priority areas of action for the implementation of the Agreement. In turn each individual substantive chapters of the Agreement includes specific areas of cooperation. A Development cooperation declaration establishes the link with the Aid for Trade strategy and recalls the Commission and Member States ' intention to contribute to the funding of a regional development fund. Finally, the agreement contains a detailed dispute settlement mechanism, as well as general, final and institutional provisions."
(Summary provided by the European Commission, EPA Flash News, 20 December 2007, keywords highlighted by acp-eu-trade.org editors )
Relevant documents and websites