The CARICOM Secretariat’s Office of Trade Negotiations in collaboration with the Inter‑American Development Bank (IDB), through its Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean (INTAL) and the IDB Integration and Trade Sector is hosting a Regional Workshop for CARICOM Trade Officials on the Trade and Services Agreement (TiSA) Negotiations and the Negative List Approach to Services and Investment Liberalization.
The event, which takes place in Bridgetown, Barbados on September 7th to 9th, 2016, continues the implementation of a work programme to develop the technical capacity of CARICOM Member States in the area of Services and Investment. The establishment of this work programme arose subsequent to the endorsement by the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) of a number of recommendations from a regional Workshop on the Preparation of Services and Investment Liberalization offers held June 2015. These specified the need for CARICOM countries to undertake further technical work with respect to Services and Investment.
The Workshop has been funded by INTAL/IDB which has been a long standing regional partner and has supported the CARICOM Region’s efforts to participate effectively in the multilateral and regional trade negotiations, and the global economy.
Over the three days, the Workshop is expected to facilitate discussions on the plurilateral Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) negotiations and to assess its implications for CARICOM countries. TiSA is currently being negotiated by twenty three countries, including Canada, the European Union, the United States of America, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Peru. The Workshop participants will also be guided through an in-depth review and application of the Negative List Approach to the scheduling of Services and Investment liberalization commitments.
Through INTAL /IDB’s assistance, the participation of Services and Investment trade experts and negotiators from hemispheric partner countries, Chile and Mexico, has been secured to allow the sharing of their countries’ perspectives on and experiences with the TiSA negotiations and the use of the negative list approach to services and investment liberalization.
