Caribbean Political Economy

Amazon Massacre & The US-Peru FTA, Raul Zibechi

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On June 5, World Environment Day, Amazon Indians were massacred by the government of Alan Garcia in the latest chapter of a long war to take over common lands-a war unleashed by the signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Peru and the United States.

Three MI-17 helicopters took off from the base of the National Police in El Milagro at six in the morning of Friday, June 5. They flew over Devil’s Curve, the part of the highway that joins the jungle with the northern coast, which had been occupied for the past 10 days by some 5,000 Awajún and Wampi indigenous peoples. The copters launched tear gas on the crowd (other versions say that they also shot machine guns), while simultaneously a group of agents attacked the road block by ground, firing AKM rifles. A hundred people were wounded by gunshot and between 20-25 were killed.

The population of the nearby city of Bagua, some thousand kilometers northeast of Lima near the border with Ecuador, came out into the streets to support the indigenous people’s demonstration, setting fire to state institutions and local office of the official party APRA (Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana)…

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Victory In The Amazon: Defeating the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Pact Laura Carlsen

EU Public Procurement and the ACP, Joyce vG-Naar

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joyce-naar1Joyce van Genderen-Naar is a lawyer and journalist from Suriname. She is currently based in Brussels. Email vangenderen@unicall.be

If ACP experts and companies want to compete with the EU and to have access to the EU Market, they have to know more about the rules and procedures.Frequently asked questions are: how can ACP experts and companies have access to the EU market and compete with EU and other foreign experts and companies; how can ACP SMEs participate in EU consortiums; what is the best way to have access to EU tenders; iIs there a lack of confidence in the ability of our own enterprises and in our own capacity; why do not ACP countries involve their own people and experts more and increase their own capacities in stead of complaining that ACP has no capacity and asking the EU for capacity building and EU consultants to do research and studies in ACP countries? Reports that can only be written with the help of the information of ACP locals who are being used as information and response persons, reports that often are not implemented.

This article discusses EU Public Procurement Procedures with regard to the ACP-EC Cooperation. it shows the importance of Public Procurement for the EU and its Member states and indicates the preferences for ACP-tenders and tenderers provided in the EU-ACP Partnership Agreement and the relevant provisions of the European Development Fund. It sets out in detail the Legislative framework of the EU Public Procurement, eligibility criteria, contract award criteria and principles,procedures, rules, transparency,-Transparency Rates of EU Member States; Obstacles for EU Member States and firms; and other factors conditioning ACP access to EU Public Procurement markets.

Infusing Development into Caricom/Canada/US FTA, CPDC

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Advocacy Document from the Caribbean Policy Development Centre
AN INITIAL CIVIL SOCIETY ADVOCACY POSITION ON CARICOM/CANADA/USA FTA

The substantive proposals contained in this civil society advocacy paper indicates that it is
imperative that the upcoming negotiations between CARICOM/Canada set a platform for the
creation of a true partnership agreement which will be based on development priorities.
However, not only must the substantive elements of the negotiations reflect development but the process of the negotiation must also reflect a concern with good governance which ensures effective civil society participation…

Click here for CPDC Advocacy paper

EPA Lessons and Canadian FTA, Norman Girvan

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Presentation at Caribbean Diplomatic Training Programme for Mid-Career Diplomats, Georgetown, Guyana, May 22, 2009

  • EPA Criticisms
  • Strategic Lessons
  • EPA Review Clause
  • Canadian FTA 

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EPA Negotiations ’should not be rushed’, EC

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EPA Negotiations with Central Africa: The state of play, by Claude Maerten and Elisabeth Tison, March 2009

‘Although progress on the EPAs is necessary, it should not be rushed. ..The EU has no wish to exercise pressure at the risk of obtaining agreements that might not meet the specific needs of each region. The EU has no wish to exercise pressure at the risk of obtaining agreements that might not meet the specific needs of each region.’

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Bananas - ‘EU Not A Real Partner’, Joyce vG-Naar

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From Global Watch, April 2009

Joyce van Genderen-Naar

Joyce van Genderen-Naar

The EU will soon conclude with the Latin American Banana producing countries an agreement that will harm the production and export of bananas of ACP-countries. The European Commission proposed on March 12, 2009, that the current tariff of 176 Euros/ton to MFN countries would be reduced by 2011 to 136 Euros/Ton, with a possibility of continuing its reduction to 114 Euros/Ton by 2019…

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Joyce van Genderen-Naar is a lawyer and journalist from Suriname based in Brussels.  Contact her at Van Genderen - Naar [vangenderen@unicall.be]

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Letter of Support from TIYE International

ACP Struggles with EPA & WTO Issues Joyce van Genderen-Naar, July 2008

ACPs challenge tariff cut for Latin American bananas


Ghanaian President criticises EPA

12-May-2009
The President, John Evans Atta Mills has criticised certain clauses in the Draft Economic Partnership Agreement claiming it is meant to allow European countries dump their cheap and highly subsidised goods and services on Ghana.

Pacific ACP leaders want EU to address “contentious issues” in EPA

12-May-2009

In the Pacific region, only Papua New Guinea and Fiji initialled an Interim EPA mainly to protect their exports of fish and sugar, respectively, into the EU markets.
Don’t sign EPAs - COSATU urges Namibia

7-May-2009

THE Congress of South African Trade Unions has urged Namibia to follow South Africa and Angola’s footsteps in refusing to sign the much-debated Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union, alleging that the purported agreement has a ‘hidden’ agenda.

Nigeria: Country rejects EPA

7-May-2009
Nigeria is not ready to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) aimed to liberalise trade between Africa, the European Union (EU), Carribean and Pacific countries, Minister of Commerce and Indsutry Chief Achike Udenwa said yesterday.

“Independence Means the Capacity to Stand on one’s Feet” Says Sidia Jatta

6-May-2009
At the two-day sensitization workshop organised by The Gambia Social Forum on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) for National Assembly Members, Media and the Civil Society Representatives held on the 22-23 April, 2009 at the Corinthian Atlantic Hotel, Hon. Sidia Jatta, the National Assembly Member for Wuli West, gave critical analysis of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) regarding its overwhelming disadvantages and urged The Gambia not to sign it.

COSATU calls for rejection of EU-SADC Partnership Agreement

4-May-2009
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is celebrating the rejection of European Union-SADC Interim Economic Partnership Agreement (IEPA) negotiations by the governments of South Africa and Angola and is mobilising for a political intervention in the whole agreement negotiations.

European Union pushes trade deal on Africa

20-April-2009
The signing of a finalized economic partnership agreement (EPA) between the European Union and southern African countries seems imminent-despite regional trade fragmentation remaining a danger.

Bloc warned against signing EPA blindly

9-April-2009
East African Community (EAC) member states should not sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (Epa) three months to come unless shortcomings are addressed, local civil society organisations (CSOs) have warned.

Pacific lessons from the Economic Partnership Agreement

1-April-2009
A trade deal between the world’s largest economic region, the European Union - and the world’s smallest - the Pacific - was never going to be easy.

West Africa: Don’t Conclude Regional EPA in June 2009 -Gapto

31-March-2009
Members of the Ghana Agricultural Producers and Traders Organisation (GAPTO) have called on the governments of the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) not to conclude the Regional Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with European Union (EU) in June, this year.

EU Commission Manufactured African Business Support for EPAs

23-March-2009
Internal email communication by DG Trade obtained by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) unveils how the EU Commission has actively orchestrated African business support for its Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. MEPs will vote on the EPA negotiations at their sitting in Strasbourg today and tomorrow.
3-March-2009
The East Africa Trade Union Congress (EATUC) has joined groups that want the deadline for the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) between the East Africa Community and the European Commission extended.

Jagdeo calls for freeze on EPA in light of global crisis

1-March-2009
Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo believes there should be a delay in implementing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) trade deal with Europe because of challenges created by the global financial crisis.

EPA Lessons: The Forfeiture of the Sugar Protocol, Clive Thomas

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‘Guyana and the Wider World’, Stabroek News, Sunday May 17, 2008

The ACP’s forfeiting of the SP was the end product of one of the most cynical and self-serving manoeuvres by the EC. Its execution was brilliant, as judged by the behaviour of Caribbean states with which I am familiar. Almost without exception they were far too willing to accept the EC’s interpretation of what the SP constituted, as well as their own economic conditions, needs and priorities, in the face of startling evidence to the contrary. The SP was forfeited to facilitate the EC inspired, EPAs…

Click here for  ‘EPA Lessons’, by Clive Thomas

Development Component of the Cariforum EPA, European Parliament

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Study prepared for the European Parliament by a team from ODI, ECDPM and CAPRI

The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the Caribbean Forum (Cariforum) and the European Community (EC) is the only comprehensive EPA negotiated so far, and was signed by all parties (except Haiti) in October 2008. Now that the details have been finalised a start can be made to identify the likely development impact, and this report provides an initial assessment…

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Also available at this link

 

Canada-Colombia FTA Could be a Lose-Lose Deal, COHA

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Far from being unanimously supported, the proposed Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement has been strongly criticized by human and labor rights organizations in Canada and Colombia, who view the agreement as being both irresponsible and ill-considered on Canada’s part.

Click here for analysis of Canada-Colombia FTA

EPA May Limit Ability to Respond to Crisis, Sanya Reid Smith

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Trade Negotiations Insights, 8(4), April 2009

The CARIFORUM-European Commission EPA title on services and investment appears to be a template for the European Commission EPAs for all regions so it will be used as the basis for this analysis. With respect to financial services in particular, there are a number of provisions that may make it difficult to prevent future crises and to effectively deal with the current crisis…

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