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The Signing Date Of The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Between CARIFORUM States and The European Community (EC) Is Still Uncertain
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Date for EPA signing still unclear:
By Stacia Browne -


FIRST it was to be signed in July then the date was postponed to September 2. Yet it now appears that the signing of the controversial Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) will come off sometime in September, although a later date is being mooted.

The twisting and turning of the signing of the pact initialled in December last year stemmed from the apparent unease which several Caribbean Community states have with the EPA, the bedrock of a new economic relationship between CARIFORUM and Europe.

The issues which have caused concerns include the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) Clause and the development dimension which are of critical importance for a region which is small and highly vulnerable.

The MFN clause within the EPA text has largely been described as one which ties the hands of CARICOM states in any future trade arrangements. That same clause would feature highly in any agreement the region negotiates with the Canadians which has already started preliminary talks.

The EPA has been on the negotiation table between CARIFORUM states and the EC since 2004 and is set to arrangement guiding trade between the two parties on a reciprocal basis.

Word reaching the Barbados Advocate yesterday indicated that with three CARIFORUM countries now announcing their dissent with the EPA, Barbados' Prime Minister David Thompson is calling for an urgent CARICOM Heads of Government meeting on the arrangement. This has led to the September 2nd date being pushed back.

Thompson has called for the Heads of Government meeting to take place after Guyana holds its public consultations on the arrangement at the beginning of September after CARIFESTA.

Only on Wednesday, St. Lucia's Prime Minister, Stephenson King said his country will hold off signing the new trade deal. He said his country wants some concerns addressed first and it will take some time to review the EPA. Based on the advice we have been receiving from several quarters, we as members of the Caribbean Community are now in a better position to say let us slow down a minute and engage in a further review of the real value of the EPA to the region, Prime Minister King said.

Last week the new Grenadian Prime, Minister Tillman Thomas stated that the agreement needs proper review before Grenada signs it. Guyanese President Bharrat Jagedeo at the last CARICOM Heads of Government Conference in July that he will not be signing the agreement as it stands in the final text that was negotiated and initialled by EC and CARIFORUM states on December 14 last year.

A number of commentators from across the region both on the academic and commercial side have expressed their dissatisfaction with agreement that was swiftly agreed to in mid-December last year.

Weeks ago, Henry Gill, Director General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery said that if the agreement is not signed it would hold up the process.

The RNM negotiated the pack on behalf of CARFORUM which includes the Caribbean Community and CARICOM.

Web Posted - Fri Aug 22 2008
Barbados Advocate

August 24, 2008 | 9:03 PM Comments  0 comments

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