You may not know what the EPA is but it is the single most pressing regional
issue in the Caribbean right now. The EPA, short for Economic Partnership Agreement
between CARICOM and the European Union was supposed to have been signed by all
regional heads of government yesterday. But that event was aborted because of
widespread apprehension about the benefits of the arrangement to CARICOM countries.
Regional heads have agreed to meet in Barbados on September 10th to re-consider
their positions and try to find ground for a way forward. But Belize won’t
be there because Prime Minister Dean Barrow is staying in Belize for the tenth.
He told us that this country will send its position to the heads in a letter.
And that position, as discussed at Cabinet yesterday, is that Belize is prepared
to sign the agreement.
Prime Minister Barrow told us that because Belize, unlike other CARICOM countries,
still has viable banana and sugar industries – if we don’t sign
– we stand to lose those preferences and that would mean the death of
those industries.
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