Miami Conference to address the Impact of the EPA

Washington, D.C.–Caribbean Central American Action (CCAA) announces that the EU-Caribbean Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) will be one of the major topics explored at this year’s Miami Conference on the Caribbean and Central America, taking place at the InterContinental Hotel in Miami, Florida, from December 1-3, 2008.

“The signing of the EPA has introduced a new dynamic into the Caribbean trading system and there is no consensus on the how the Caribbean will fare with Europe, the U.S., and other partners, under the rewritten rules,” says CCAA Executive Director Anton Edmunds.  “The opinions that will be heard during this panel are going to be strong and they are going to be diverse.”

The negotiation of the EPA means that the Caribbean no longer has non-reciprocal preferential access to the European market, a privilege that had characterized EU-Caribbean trade.  Furthermore, the Caribbean will now have to lower its own trade barriers for products coming from Europe.  This ushers in new challenges for Caribbean businesses which are exporting to Europe or competing with imported products.  Whether the economies will be able to adjust is the million-dollar question.  Added to this is the impact on other trade arrangements – particularly with the United States – and whether the Caribbean has reduced its flexibility to negotiate new agreements that could help build the region’s trade flows.

This panel, taking place on Wednesday, December 3, will take a comprehensive look at the agreement to determine both the potential benefits and disadvantages to the region – and how to make the EPA work.

The Annual Miami Conference continues to be the only forum that focuses solely on the economies of the Caribbean and Central America.  The conference brings leaders from the public sector, the business community and civil society together in a constructive dialogue to address issues affecting the region and its economic prospects. It combines major addresses by political leaders with workshops on industry and public policy issues.  Roundtables give participants the opportunity to participate in a series of interactive discussions with subject-matter experts from the United States, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and Central America on issues vital to the agribusiness, energy, transportation and logistics andtourism industry sectors.

CCAA is a non-governmental organization that promotes private sector-led economic development in the Caribbean Basin. More information on the organization and the Annual Miami Conference can be found by visiting CCAA's website at http://www.c-caa.org. 

# # #

Back to Top