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Push for 'goods only' EPA deal |
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Sunday, 14 September 2008 |
GEORGETOWN - President Bharrat Jagdeo says Guyana will be pushing for a
"goods only" deal under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with
Europe even as he urged his regional colleagues to delay singing the
controversial trade pact.
Addressing the media following a one-day consultations on the trade
pact on Friday Jagdeo stated that he could not ignore the voices that
were against the deal in its present form.
"I feel also that people have not had enough time: civil society,
opposition parties throughout the region, to familiarize themselves
with this agreement which will have far-reaching implications for our
societies, our way of life, the way we do business, the CSME (Caribbean
Community Single Market and Economy) and everything else," Jagdeo said.
GEORGETOWN - President Bharrat Jagdeo says Guyana will be pushing for a "goods only" deal under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe even as he urged his regional colleagues to delay singing the controversial trade pact.
Addressing the media following a one-day consultations on the trade pact on Friday Jagdeo stated that he could not ignore the voices that were against the deal in its present form.
"I feel also that people have not had enough time: civil society, opposition parties throughout the region, to familiarize themselves with this agreement which will have far-reaching implications for our societies, our way of life, the way we do business, the CSME (Caribbean Community Single Market and Economy) and everything else," Jagdeo said.
A government statement issued after the meeting said the goods only deal would allow the EPA to be signed with enough time to renegotiate its development aspects which include "services which offer little real opportunities to Caribbean businesses but open the regional markets to European service providers."
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads are to meet in Barbados on Wednesday to discuss the EPA but the president said he would be advocating for them not to commit to signing the agreement unless it was a goods only version.
Referring to the regional leaders who are willing to sign the EPA as is, the president said he believed some of them were unfairly characterizing those who were opposed to the agreement in its current form.
Guyana and St. Lucia have argued that the trade pact is disadvantageous to their countries and have been pushing for a delay in signing. However, a number of other CARICOM countries have indicated that they are willing to sign the deal despite the concerns - some coming from top regional trade officials and academics.
Principal negotiator for the European Union (EU) Karl Falkenberg said time had run out for countries in the region to sign the EPA. According to Falkenberg, the EU has placed itself in a vulnerable position by offering market access to regional nations from January 1, 2008.
Under the EPA, Cariforum (CARICOM and Dominican Republic) countries and the EU would begin a reciprocal arrangement of trade liberalization opening their economies to the goods and services of each other.
The deal is to replace the old preferential trade arrangement which has existed between Europe and the region for many years.
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