For  immediate  release    

 August  13,  2012    

Caribbean  Export  Hosts  Pivotal  Business  Forum  on  EPA,  Trade  and  Investment    The   CARIFORUM-­‐EU   Economic   Partnership   Agreement   (EPA)   took   centre   stage   as  Caribbean  Export  Development  Agency  (Caribbean  Export)  hosted  two  days  of  high-­‐level  meetings   to   discuss   the   way   forward   for   the   region   in   the   implementation   and  utilisation  of  the  EPA.                                                Held  at  Grosvenor  Hotel   in  London,  regional  private  sector  representatives  delivered  a  series  of  presentations  and  held  panel  discussions  at   the  2nd  CARIFORUM-­‐EU  Business  Forum  under  the  theme,  “Making  the  CARIFORUM-­‐EU  Economic  Partnership  Agreement  Work”.          

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Executive  Director,  Caribbean  Export  Pamela  Coke  Hamilton  with  Jamaica  Minister  of  Industry,  Investment  and  Commerce  

The  Hon.  G.  Anthony  Hylton  (left)  and    Rt.  Hon.  Alan  Duncan,  Minister  of  State,  DFID  

“The  EPA  is  a  very  important  foundation  for  us  in  the  region  to  build  on  and  utilise,  with  respect   to   tapping   into   the   European   market   place”,   commented   Pamela   Coke  Hamilton,  Executive  Director  of  Caribbean  Export  in  her  opening  remarks.  “However,  we  need  to  continue  to  put  in  place  mechanisms  to  enable  our  private  sector,  for  example,  agro-­‐processors   and   creative   industries,   to   take   advantage   of   the   Agreement.   This  meeting  is  one,  important  step  in  that  direction,”  Mrs.  Coke  Hamilton  concluded.    On  the  first  day  of  the  Forum,  Director  General  of  the  CARIFORUM  Directorate,  Mr.  Ivan  Ogando-­‐Lora,  spoke  about  the  present  situation  surrounding  the  EPA  implementation  in  his   presentation   and   echoed   the   sentiments   of   Mrs.   Coke   Hamilton,   “CARIFORUM   is  open  for  business  and  is  unflinching  in  its  commitment  to  implementing  the  EPA”.    Other  discussions  of  the  day  included  ‘Investing  and  Doing  Business   in  the  Caribbean’s  Sports  Industry’,  moderated  by  the  Hon.  Stephen  Lashley,  Minister  of  Youth,  Culture  and  Sport,  Barbados;   ‘Taking  Advantage  of   Investment  Opportunities  within   the  Caribbean  and   Europe’,   moderated   by   Mr.   Matthew   Rock,   Communications   Director,   Caspian  Publishing   and   Founding   Editor,   Real   Business   Magazine;   and   the   capstone   session  ‘Trading   with   Europe   -­‐   Making   the   CARIFORUM-­‐EU   Economic   Partnership   Agreement  Work’,  which  was  moderated  by  Mr.  Eddie  Nestor,  Presenter,  Drive  Time,  BBC  London  Radio.                                                

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Barbados  Minister  of  Youth,  Culture  and  Sport,  the  Hon.  Stephen  Lashley  during  his  presentation  

Day  two  of  the  meetings  saw  a  number  of  breakout  sessions,  which  focused  primarily  on  the  recently  concluded  Manufacturing  and  Cultural  Industries  Study  Tours  to  the  United  Kingdom,   Germany   and   France.   In   particular,   the   sessions   covered   issues   related   to  Standards,   Intellectual   Property,   Sanitary   and   Phyto-­‐Sanitary   requirements,   Market  Intelligence   and   Technical   Assistance.   The   Forum   ended   with   recommendations   for  enhancing  CARIFORUM-­‐EU  trade  and  investment  relations.    The   fifteen  signatory  Caribbean  Forum  of  African,  Caribbean  and  Pacific   (CARIFORUM)  States   to   the   EPA   are   the   independent   CARICOM  Member   States   and   the   Dominican  Republic.    The   2nd   CARIFORUM-­‐EU   Business   Forum   was   supported   under   the   European   Union’s  (EU)   10th   European   Development   Fund   (EDF)   Regional   Private   Sector   Development  Programme   (RPSDP),   in   collaboration   with   the   African   Caribbean   and   Pacific   States  Business   Climate   Facility   (ACP   BizClim),   the   UK   Department   for   International  Development  (DFID),  CARIFORUM  Directorate,  the  CARICOM  Secretariat,  and  Deutsche  Gesellschaft  fur  Internationale  Zusammenarbeit  (GIZ).      

-­‐  End  -­‐    Contact  information:  Mrs.  Stephanie  Bishop  Advisor  -­‐  Marketing  &  Public  Relations  Telephone:  246-­‐436-­‐0578    Email:  sbishop@carib-­‐export.com        

This   project   is   financed   by   the   European   Union.   The  views   expressed   herein   can   in   no   way   be   taken   to  reflect   the   official   opinion   of   the   European   Union   nor  that  of  the  ACP  Secretariat.