• Ministers were apprised about
the current status of the foundation
part of the negotiations and
identified matters of continuing
concern, looking at the regional
component of the ACP Post-
Cotonou matters, and advised on
strategies and priorities for the
Caribbean involvement in the
negotiations. • Ministers were apprised about
how such funding is being used,
what successes and failures
have resulted, what challenges
were experienced, what projects
have been approved, and what
arrangements will be made for
the implementation of these
projects. “In looking at the EPA, we still
continue to ask from time to time
whether it is yielding the benefits
that have been anticipated,” Marie
said. “We continue to ask that
question while we try to implement
as much as we can to take advantage
of the opportunities that are created
under that particular agreement.”
• Ministers agreed to meeting with
the European Commissioner
for Development, the EU’s chief
negotiator of Post-Cotonou, on
April 15 in Jamaica. Immediately
preceding that meeting was an
internal caucus of CARIFORUM
Ministers to plan and strategize. • The implementation of the
CARIFORUM-EU
Economic
Partnership Agreement was
also discussed, recognizing that
the second five-year review is
due by next year. Ministers gave
instructions on preparations
that had to be undertaken for
CARIFORUM to ensure that
it promoted its positions and
protected its interests in that
second five-year review. Saint Lucia’s deep ties with the
French departments – Martinique
and Guadeloupe — and the British
and Dutch Overseas Territories and
countries in the region was also
discussed. Both French departments
are Associate Members of the sub-
regional grouping, the Organization
of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS),
and have taken the lead on critical
regional matters, including health
and climate change.
• Ministers also received a
status report on how the
current agreement was being
implemented. “We looked at what was being
done to deepen and expand that
relationship,” Marie stated. “The
Ministers agreed that further work
would be done and that there would
• Ministers discussed greater
CARIFORUM-EU development
cooperation, especially with
the EU being the largest single
donor of grant financing to the
region. Under the 10th European
Development Fund (10th EDF),
324 million Euros has been
pledged to the region.
10 SL-YOU | Business, People & Lifestyle
www.slyoumag.com | July-August 2019