CARICOM HEADS TO CONSIDER SINGLE MARKET, SUGAR AT UPCOMING REGULAR MEETING

Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have a packed agenda before them for the upcoming 25th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, which runs from July 4 through July 7 in Grande Anse, Grenada. High on the agenda will be a focus on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), which is geared towards creating a single economic space among CARICOM States; as well as the challenges facing the regional sugar industry.

CARICOM Secretary-General, Mr. Edwin Carrington told the media at a press conference at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown on Monday (28 June) that special meetings of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) dealing with external negotiations, and the Advisory Council for the CSME will be convened in Grenada on July 2 to set the stage for talks among Regional leaders.

Stressing the importance of the sugar issue, the CARICOM Secretary-General noted that the European Union (EU) Sugar Protocol, which sets out the trade parameters for the export of sugar from the Region, and which was created in the 1970s within the framework of an "indefinite" duration, is now being changed with serious consequences for CARICOM Member States.

The President of Guyana, H.E. Bharrat Jagdeo, who is responsible for Agriculture within the CARICOM Quasi-Cabinet, is expected to present to his colleagues a working paper on the sustainable management and development of the agriculture sector. Within this context also, the matter of a Regional fisheries policy and the status of the Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI), will be discussed at the upcoming Meeting in Grenada. "The role of CARDI as the premier agricultural research and development institution in the Region is even more critical and relevant in the face of the challenges facing the sector," Mr. Carrington said.

Other matters to be considered by the CARICOM Heads of Government include the restructuring of the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) and as well as issues pertaining to governance within the Community. The Secretary-General noted too that the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Cricket will meet to discuss the allocation of matches and the sharing of proceeds from the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean.

Speaking on the issue of Haiti, CARICOM's newest Member State, Mr. Carrington said that in light of the instability that the country has experienced in recent times, "We are hoping to arrive at some satisfactory solution to the problem."

At the opening ceremony of the CARICOM Heads Meeting on Sunday, July 4 presentations will be made by Outgoing Chairmen, Hon. Percival Patterson, Prime Minister of Jamaica and Hon Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda; Incoming Chairman Hon. Dr Keith Mitchell; Dominica's Prime Minister Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, who is the newest Head of Government apart from the Outgoing Chairman; as well as the Secretary-General.

Contact:
Huntley Medley
E-mail: hmedley@caricom.org