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(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) When the Twelfth Special Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) convenes in Georgetown, on Friday 7 December, it would be the third time in as many months that the impending Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union has formally engaged regional leaders.
The EPA is one of two agenda items of the Special Meeting. The other is the rising food prices across the 15-member group of nations.
The Ministers of the Caribbean Forum of the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) States CARIFORUM held their Fifteenth Meeting in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on 18-19 October 2007.
The Ministers reiterated the Region’s dismay at the European Commission’s unilateral denunciation of the Sugar Protocol on 30 September 2007.
They also requested that given the extreme importance of the Banana Industry to the Region, serious consideration be given to negotiating for the extension of financial support to this Sector beyond 2009.
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Secretary General of CARIFORUM/CARICOM His Excellency Edwin Carrington and European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid , Mr. Luis Michel , on Monday, 08 January, 2007 signed a Financing Agreement for a grant of €40.5M to support the Caribbean Region in achieving its objective of regional economic integration and repositioning into the world economy.
The signing took place at the Commission's headquarters in Brussels.
CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – The Fifth Meeting of CARIFORUM-EU Principal Negotiators was convened in Barbados on March 27-28. A Joint Statement (appended to this News Release), which takes stock of the one and a half day encounter, was issued this afternoon at a Joint Press Conference, in which both the CARIFORUM and EU Principal Negotiators participated. The meeting of Principal Negotiators was co-chaired by Ambassador Richard Bernal, Director General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery, representing CARIFORUM and Mr.
CHRIST CHURCH, BARBADOS – Senior Caribbean and European Commission (EC) officials met in Barbados today, November 12. The encounter marked the Second Meeting of CARIFORUM-EC Principal Negotiators; the first having been convened in Brussels, July 15, 2004.
CARIFORUM officials were led by Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal, Director General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) and Caribbean Principal Negotiator on Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), and the EC team was headed by Mr. Karl Falkenberg, Director DG-Trade.
Senior EU and Caribbean officials met in Brussels on Thursday 15 July to advance negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement which were launched in April. There was a broad understanding on the scope and priorities of the negotiations, which are aimed at promoting sustainable development in the Caribbean through increased trade, investment and regional integration. Agreement was reached on modalities for a task force set up to facilitate the inter-linkage between the negotiations and development assistance.
The Caribbean Community/CARIFORUM, the Government of Italy and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) signed a US$5 million Food Security Project in Milan on 21 March 2003.
The Project is Italy's response to a US$26.2 million programme submitted by CARICOM/CARIFORUM to a Meeting on Food Security at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, DC in November last year.