CARIFORUM Heads of Government arrived in Montego Bay Wednesday afternoon ahead of the crucial two
day meeting with senior officials of the European Union.
At the meeting that gets underway Thursday morning, talks will be held towards resolving outstanding issues regarding the establishment of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
The regional heads who arrived this afternoon are CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves - Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana's President, Bharat Jagdeo and the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez.
The meeting involving the CARIFORUM grouping brings together officials from CARICOM and the Dominican Republic.
The two day meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who has lead responsibility for external negotiations within the quasi-cabinet of regional leaders.
The meeting is being held as the preferential arrangement for the export of sugar and bananas to Europe from ACP countries is coming to an end.
On December 31 this year, exports from ACP countries will no longer benefit from non-reciprocal preferential access to the EU.
But Caribbean governments have expressed their displeasure that the sugar protocol has been abandoned without clear indications of how sugar will be treated in the new EPA.
Under the Lome Convention that previously dealt with the aid and trade arrangements between the EU and the ACP, there had been fixed quotas and fixed prices for sugar.
But according to Director General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery, Ambassador Richard Bernal it is hoped that some outstanding issues will be settled during the meeting.
Ambassador Bernal has also sought to dismiss concerns that the region may be rushing to sign a new trade deal.
The EU delegation including Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and the Development Commissioner Louis Michel will meet with the regional leaders Thursday and Friday.
At the meeting that gets underway Thursday morning, talks will be held towards resolving outstanding issues regarding the establishment of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
The regional heads who arrived this afternoon are CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves - Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana's President, Bharat Jagdeo and the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez.
The meeting involving the CARIFORUM grouping brings together officials from CARICOM and the Dominican Republic.
The two day meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who has lead responsibility for external negotiations within the quasi-cabinet of regional leaders.
The meeting is being held as the preferential arrangement for the export of sugar and bananas to Europe from ACP countries is coming to an end.
On December 31 this year, exports from ACP countries will no longer benefit from non-reciprocal preferential access to the EU.
But Caribbean governments have expressed their displeasure that the sugar protocol has been abandoned without clear indications of how sugar will be treated in the new EPA.
Under the Lome Convention that previously dealt with the aid and trade arrangements between the EU and the ACP, there had been fixed quotas and fixed prices for sugar.
But according to Director General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery, Ambassador Richard Bernal it is hoped that some outstanding issues will be settled during the meeting.
Ambassador Bernal has also sought to dismiss concerns that the region may be rushing to sign a new trade deal.
The EU delegation including Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and the Development Commissioner Louis Michel will meet with the regional leaders Thursday and Friday.
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