No fundamental change after Brexit

Pierantoni said it was not possible to say how BREXIT will affect the region because the exit strategy has not yet been negotiated. In an interview with journalists following the opening of a meeting of CARIFORUM members of the CARIFORUM- EU Consultative Committee (CCC) of the Economic Partnership Agreement taking place yesterday and today at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, Pierantoni said that working out the exit strategy will take “a couple of years”.

He said the first thing that will need to be clarified will be the relationship between the EU and the UK and after that the UK will decide how it wants to conduct its negotiations with the rest of the world. However, he said the EU has already said that no fundamental change should be expected in the way it interacts with the region - “the EPA remains there, our regional cooperation remains there, we are continuing our engagement in the Caribbean for years to come.” Renwick Rose, outgoing chairman of the committee expressed concern over the future of banana exports from the Eastern Caribbean to the United Kingdom.

He said bananas were just one example but the same situation relates to a number of other products and some of the islands are even more vulnerable than others in terms of the percentage of their exports and trade with the UK. “So while we look to expand into the rest of the European market, I think it is important to hold onto the access that we have had up to now.” Meanwhile, Gordon Bishpam, Executive Director of the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC), said that with the UK having officially served notice on the EU of its plans for an exit from the union, BREXIT is imminent and the countries of CARICOM and CARIFORUM need to recalibrate and start to look at the potential for the fallout of the relationships between the CARIFORUM member states and the EU.

The CPDC is jointly hosting the meeting with funding from the European Union and support from the CARIFORUM Directorate.

The meeting is also scheduled to discuss the impact of EU visa requirements on converting market access to market presence; the future of the ACPEU relations when the Cotonou Agreement expires and the status of implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA.

The Caribbean Policy Development Centre comprises 27 regional and national networks and individuals of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and works both directly and indirectly with groups of farmers, rural people, women, youth, church members and artists.