(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown) A two-day Technical Workshop on Market Access & Trade in Services/Investment that drew primarily on the expertise of staff from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)Secretariat Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) Implementation Unit came to a close on Friday (23 July). It was declared a ‘resounding success’ by Mr David Jordan, Director of International Trade and Investment in the Ministry for External Affairs, International Trade and Investment, Saint Lucia. At the outset of the workshop, Mr Jordan delivered the keynote address, in which he said that it represented an important capacity building exercise, and that it held the promise of ‘improving the skills of our officials….helping [them] to demistify [certain] provisions of the EPA’.

Head of the EPA Unit, Mr Branford Isaacs, who is also its Trade in Goods Specialist, and Ms Allyson Francis, the Unit’s Trade in Services and Investment Specialist, took the lead on the core sessions of the workshop.

The workshop was organized around plenary-styled and break out sessions, geared at deepening participants’ understanding of certain provisions of the EPA between CARIFORUM States and the European Union (EU). A broad spectrum of Saint Lucian public sector officials and business support organization representatives were invited.

The two break out sessions, which ran concurenntly over two days, were especially interactive. Some participants attended the Market Access in Goods Group, and others the Trade in Services and Investment Group. Mr Isaacs facilitated the former group, and Ms Francis the latter.

In the Market Access Group, there was in-depth analysis of issues pertaining to the provisions on the liberalization of the customs tariff under the EPA, as well as a detailed examination of the Rules of Origin which will govern bilateral CARIFORUM-EU trade. In the Trade in Services and Investment Group, there was a similarly intensive and lively discussion on issues related to the provisions on Commercial Presence, Consumption Abroad, Cross Border Trade and the Temporary Movement of Natural Persons. A session delving specifically into the interpretation of and the sectors identified in the schedule of commitments undertaken by the EU and CARIFORUM States followed. In addition, there was a session that sought to highlight those instances where Saint Lucia had specific commitments. A session thereafter addressed the technical assistance needs of the Services sectors identified in the course of discussions, such as Cultural Services and Management Consultants.

With respect to both groups, in examining the provisions of the EPA, the facilitators paid close attention to those that might have implications for Saint Lucia. This allowed for the participants to provide feedback on the specific interests of Saint Lucia.

In the case of Services, participants were asked to address the policies in place and some policies that have yet to be developed for the different Services sectors. The intention was to further the development of regulations for the implementation of the Agreement and the effective operation of such sectors in Saint Lucia. However, participants were also asked to consult with their respective constituents following the workshop, so as to acquire market intelligence to enable the effective penetration of the European market, in areas where market access was granted.

At the close of the meeting, Mr Isaacs said of the Unit’s role in this workshop that ‘it is a reflection of the CARICOM EPA Implementation Unit’s on-going commitment to concertedly engage with CARIFORUM States, with a view to providing the requisite support to national efforts to press ahead with EPA implementation’. Indeed, July is an especially busy month for the Unit, which has been called upon to service a series of national consultations taking place across a handful of Member States, in the areas of goods trade and services/investment with respect to the EPA.

The Caribbean Export Development Agency worked in collaboration with the CARICOM EPA Implementation Unit, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Consumer Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade and Investment (Saint Lucia), the OECS Secretariat, the German Organisation for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the EU to convene the workshop. The initiative was funded by the Ninth European Development Fund (EDF) Caribbean Trade and Private Sector Development Programme.

The EPA Implementation Unit was established in February 2009 by the Secretary-General of CARICOM. Provisional application of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA became effective in December 2008, following the signing of the Agreement in October 2008. It has been charged with coordinating the timely implementation of the Agreement. As a means of giving effect to some of the obligations which fall to CARIFORUM States, the Unit is also tasked with providing in-country, hands-on assistance.