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In October 2008, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Dominican Republic signed the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU.
Haiti signed the agreement in December 2009, but is not applying it yet, pending its ratification.
Caribbean countries:
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago
The EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership in practice
Trade picture
- The EU is CARIFORUM's third-largest trading partner, after the United States.
- The main exports from the Caribbean to the EU are fuel and mining products, notably petroleum gas and oils, bananas, sugar and rum, minerals (notably gold, corundum, aluminium oxide and hydroxide), iron ore products, and fertilisers.
- The main imports into the Caribbean from the EU are boats, ships, cars, constructions vehicles and engine parts, phone equipment, milk and cream, and spirit drinks
The EU and the Caribbean
The CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA):
- helps the two regions invest in and trade with each other;
- provides predictable EU market access for these countries;
- will gradually open the EU market in services, including the creative and entertainment industries;
- ensures duty-free-quota-free market access into the EU for all products;
- liberalises EU exports of sensitive products gradually over a period of 25 years, and;
- makes it possible for CARIFORUM companies to set up a commercial presence in the EU.
The EPA includes a free trade agreement (FTA) which opens up trade in goods between the two regions. Unlike other FTAs, the EPA helps their development through trade:
- It opens up trade in services and investment;
- It makes it easier to do business in the Caribbean – like rules to ensure fair competition;
- The EU offers financial support to help:
- governments to implement the accord, and;
- to help businesses to use the EPA to export more and to attract more outside investment.
CARIFORUM countries have been integrating more closely with each other. The EPA helps by making it easier to export goods and services between:
- All the countries that make up CARIFORUM;
- 17 Caribbean territories with direct links to EU countries (four French 'outermost regions' and 13 overseas territories - six British, six Dutch and one French)
The CARIFORUM-EU EPA entered into provisional application in December 2008. Reviews of the agreement take place every five years.
Two independent ex-post evaluations have been conducted so far, the latest in 2019-2020.
A previous study on the agreement’s impact took place in 2013-2014.
Committees and Dialogues
The EU and Caribbean meet regularly to discuss issues and best practices and oversee the proper functioning of the agreement.
Trading with the Caribbean
- Importing into the EU from the Caribbean
- EU trade defence measures on imports from the Caribbean
- Exporting from the EU to the Caribbean
- Trade relations are part of the EU's overall political and economic relations with Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM
- The text of the EU-Caribbean Economic Partnership Agreement (a minor correction to the text)
- Caribbean Export: A region-wide agency supporting Caribbean exporters
- CDE: An agency helping businesses become more competitive
- Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies- includes links to all 15 CARIFORUM States' investment promotion agencies
- Aid for trade: The EU supports aid for Caribbean countries to trade
- EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement: Creating opportunities for EU and Caribbean businesses (factsheet)
- See how the interim Economic Partnership Agreement is benefiting exporters in CARIFORUM
Latest news
The European Commission has published the report summarising progress made during the latest negotiation round to deepen the existing Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with five Eastern and Southern African partners.
The EU concludes today the first round of negotiations to deepen the existing Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with five Eastern and Southern Africa partners (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Zimbabwe).
The second meeting of the EPA Committee under the Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Ghana and the EU was held in Brussels on 29th November 2019.