This capacity-building initiative under the National EPA Coordinator Attachment Programme will run from July 21-25 and is organised by the CARIFORUM Directorate within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat. Funded under the 11th European Development Fund Technical Cooperation Facility, it aims to enhance Member States’ capacity to effectively implement the EPA and leverage CARIFORUM’s trade relationship with the European Union.

During the week-long attachment, Mr. Wagner will learn more about the EPA and the operations of the EPA Implementation Unit through engagements with the specialists in Trade in Goods, Investment and Trade in Services and EPA Development Cooperation.

Since its inception in 2024, trade officials from St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Guyana and The Bahamas have participated in the National EPA Coordinator Attachment Programme. Through their attachment, it is hoped that EPA Coordinators will gain exposure to different EPA implementation structures, work plans, challenges, consultative processes, and practices, exchange information on national implementation actions and challenges and explore ways to address these challenges.

It is also anticipated that EPA Coordinators will identify methods to advance EPA implementation, build networks and connections for future collaboration and acquire new insights into problem-solving to enhance EPA implementation.

About The CARIFORUM-EU EPA:

The EPA between CARIFORUM States and the EU and its Member States was signed on October 15, 2008. It aims to liberalise trade between 15 CARIFORUM States and 27 EU countries on a reciprocal but asymmetrical basis.
This comprehensive trade and development agreement covers:

1. Market Access for Industrial and Agricultural products;
2. Services and Investment;
3. Trade-related issues such as competition policy, the environment, transparency in government procurement, innovation and intellectual property, social aspects, and personal data protection;
4. Development cooperation;
5. Legal and institutional issues.

Chair of the Committee, Director General of CARIFORUM, Ms. Alexis Downes-Amsterdam expressed gratitude to the European Commission for its continued support for the CARIFORUM Directorate to deliver important coordination and advisory services to Member States.

Mr. Felipe De la Mota, Team Leader, Regional Cooperation and Trade at the Delegation of the EU to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and CARIFORUM reiterated the EU’s commitment to the successful execution of the Programme.

Since its creation in 1992, CARIFORUM has been mainly supported by the EU. The “Support to CARIFORUM in effective implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA, regional coordination on trade and EU cooperation” Programme maintains that support up to May 2027. It allows CARIFORUM to build on the results obtained under previous programmes, including for the implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA.

The Programme also assists in coordinating the trading and cooperation relationship with the European Union through technical capacity building, improving regional coordination and increasing awareness of the EPA.

Committee Members are drawn from the CARIFORUM Directorate, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), Barbados National Disaster Management Organisation (NDMO), Delegation of the European Union to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS, CARICOM/CARIFORUM, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and the Dominican Republic National Emergency Commission (CNE).

Chair of the Committee Ms. Alexis Downes-Amsterdam, Director General of CARIFORUM, recalled the rationale behind the project. She highlighted some of the activities undertaken since the Programme commenced in 2019 and lauded the constructive collaboration among the implementing partners.

The Natural Disaster Facility in the CARIFORUM Programme contributes to the reduction of the vulnerability to disaster risks through capacity building, institutional support, and coordination.

Resources provided under the Programme supplement that provided in national budgets to mitigate the impacts of events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and hurricanes. The Programme also aims to build resilience to environmental challenges in CARIFORUM States by strengthening preparedness, response, and recovery mechanisms.

With a €14M funding support under the 11th EDF, the Programme is executed through cooperation among the European Union, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, and the Dominican Republic National Emergency Commission (CNE).

The mission was headed by Ms. Alexis Downes-Amsterdam, Director General of CARIFORUM, and was undertaken in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Barbados. The CARIFORUM team also included representatives from the EU EPA and UK EPA Programmes.

During the visit, the team engaged a cross-section of national stakeholders including representatives of key government agencies such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Ministry of Agriculture, Customs and Excise Department and business support organisations.

Discussions focused on the administrative and legal measures required for Barbados to fully implement the agreements and implementation challenges. The CARIFORUM team provided technical guidance on advancing the required measures and addressing the challenges.

The CARIFORUM Directorate’s targeted support was also intended to ensure that Barbados is not only compliant with its EPA obligations but also equipped to translate market access into market presence and tangible long-term economic opportunities. Support to CARIFORUM States includes technical assistance to advance priority measures, targeted capacity building to boost export readiness and institutional strengthening to help CARIFORUM States maximise the opportunities available under the Agreements.

Signed in 2008, the Economic Partnership Agreement between the CARIFORUM countries and the European Union is a fundamental cornerstone in this relationship to boost trade and investment between the two regions.

The CARIFORUM-UK EPA was signed in 2021 with the aim of maintaining the trading relationship between CARIFORUM States and the United Kingdom post-BREXIT.

The meeting was chaired by Mr. Andy Sutherland, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize, which currently holds the Chair of CARIFORUM. He was supported by the Director General of CARIFORUM, Ms. Alexis Downes-Amsterdam.

The session provided an opportunity for Senior Officials to reflect on the actions taken to fulfill the mandates of the Council of Ministers on the various matters, including ensuring coordination of CARIFORUM’s positions.

The Council of Ministers of CARIFORUM, comprises one ministerial representative from each CARIFORUM State, and is the political body that manages the affairs of CARIFORUM. Decisions of CARIFORUM are taken by consensus among the Participating States.

Established in October 1992, the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) promotes and coordinates policy dialogue, cooperation, regional integration and trade, now within the framework of the OACPS Partnership Agreement with the European Union.

Ms. Downes Amsterdam expressed gratitude to the EU for its continued support and commitment to CARIFORUM’s development agenda. She underscored the importance of ensuring that the Wider Caribbean programme activities were on track and delivering the expected results.

Ms. Arias Fernandez highlighted the necessity of achieving tangible outcomes as the Programme’s implementation period nears its conclusion.

The Committee’s membership includes the CARIFORUM Directorate, the European Union, and implementing partners such as the Caribbean Policy Development Centre, the Regional Council of Guadeloupe and the University of the West Indies. Representatives of the CARIFORUM troika and the Dominican Republic also make up the Committee.

Commencing in 2021, the 11th EDF Wider Caribbean Cooperation Programme comprises four components fostering intra-CARIFORUM and wider Caribbean cooperation among CARICOM/CARIFORUM, French Caribbean Outermost Regions (FCORs), Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) cooperation, and Intra CARIFORUM cooperation.

Key activities under the Programme include initiatives to deepen and strengthen regional cooperation, capacity building workshops for civil society organisations to improve representation, technical studies to mitigate the negative impact of sargussum seaweed in the Caribbean, promote sustainable agriculture and the development of renewable energies, internship programmes and mobility programmes to promote cooperation amongst academic institutions in the Region.

The discussion took place during the Meeting of CARIFORUM Preparatory to the Fourth Meeting of the Joint Working Group on Simplification of the Rules of Origin and was chaired by Ms. Margaret Ventura, EPA Coordinator, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize, the current Chair of CARIFORUM.

Under the CARIFORUM-EU EPA, CARIFORUM companies can export their products duty free, quota free to a European Union Member State. To benefit from this preferential treatment, companies must prove that their products are manufactured using processes or inputs agreed with the EU.

These agreed processes or inputs are usually referred to as originating criteria or Rules of Origin, and are contained in Protocol I to the EPA.

Director General of CARIFORUM, Ms. Alexis Downes- Amsterdam attended the inaugural meeting of the Technical Oversight Committee of the TTBT Phase III Programme, shared CARIFORUM’s expectations and thanked the EU for its continued support.

Funding for this Project is drawn from the Caribbean Regional Multi-Annual Indicative Programme (2021-2027), under the EU’s new financing instrument, the Neighbourhood, Development, and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) that facilitates technical and financial support to developing countries for sustainable development, peace and stability.

The goal of the TBT Project is to strengthen the use of an internationally recognised Regional Quality Infrastructure (RQI) by regional and national quality institutions in CARIFORUM States such as the Bureau of Standards and the private sector, to support interregional and international trade.

Signed in 2008, the Economic Partnership Agreement between the CARIFORUM countries and the EU is a fundamental cornerstone in this relationship to boost trade and investment between the two regions. Despite support for implementation of the Agreement, challenges remain at national levels, due to limited capacities.

The TBT Project is therefore supporting the establishment of quality infrastructure including standardisation, testing, inspection and certification of products and services to ensure they are safe and of high quality.

Representing the CARIFORUM Directorate at the Eighth Meeting of the CARIFORUM-EU Consultative Committee, Trade in Services and Investment Specialist, Mr. Akil Yearwood briefed participants on the Five-Year Review and its potential benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as the significance of the joint statements issued by the Consultative Committee.

The discussions in The Bahamas also highlighted the role of the EPA in ensuring the maintenance of international labour standards and explored ways to enhance labour protections and foster closer collaboration between CARIFORUM and the EU.

Additionally, the discussions underscored, among other things, the importance of addressing trade challenges faced by CARIFORUM, boosting SME support, and strengthening cooperation to maximize the EPA’s mutual benefits.

The CARIFORUM-EU Consultative Committee was established under the EPA to promote dialogue and cooperation on economic, social, and environmental aspects of the EPA. It comprises 25 civil society organisations from CARIFORUM and 15 from the EU spanning academia, employer organizations, trade unions, labor bodies, financial institutions, and business entities.

One of the Committee’s mandates is to make recommendations to the CARIFORUM-EU Trade and Development Committee as well as the Joint CARIFORUM-EU Council to ensure the effective functioning of the Agreement.

Signed on 15 October 2008, the CARIFORUM-EU EPA aims to enhance trade and investment between 15 CARIFORUM States and 27 EU countries through a reciprocal but asymmetrical framework.

This comprehensive free trade and development agreement covers market access for industrial and agricultural goods; services and investment; and trade-related matters such as competition policy, procurement, innovation, intellectual property, transparency and social and environmental matters.

A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products having a specific geographical origin and whose qualities and/or reputation are attributable to that origin. GIs are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, wine and spirit drinks, handicrafts, and industrial products, and refer to place names.

The meeting was chaired by Ms. Margaret Ventura, EPA Coordinator in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize, the current Chair of CARIFORUM. Leading the European side was Mr. Benjamin Vallin, International Relations Officer at the Directorate General Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission.

There have been seven rounds of discussions to date based on obligations under Article 145 of the EPA. Once finalised, the Agreement will facilitate the protection of geographical indications from CARIFORUM States in EU Member States and vice versa. The CARIFORUM Directorate at the CARICOM Secretariat, tasked with coordinating the Agreement’s implementation, organised the meeting.

The CARIFORUM EU Agreement on Geographical Indications will be a treaty between CARIFORUM States and the European Union that will allow GIs from CARIFORUM States and the EU to be protected in each other’s territory.