(CARIFORUM Directorate, CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – Barbados is now better positioned to realise greater benefits from the CARIFORUM-European Union (EU) and CARIFORUM-United Kingdom (UK) Economic Partnership Agreements, following in-country sessions from 16-17 June, with support from the CARIFORUM Directorate.
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.
