Jamaica concerned about private sector representation at CARICOM

KINGSTON, Jamaica - THE Jamaican Government has expressing concerns about the inactivity of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), and the vacuum it has created in the representation of the private sector at the regional level. Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Arnaldo Brown raised the issue in his sectoral debate presentation last Wednesday, noting that the process of resolving regional issues, including those arising from the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU), require representation at the regional level. "It is desirable that the private sector actively participates in these processes. However, the process recognizes regional institutions as opposed to national or industrial ones. Regrettably, the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce no longer functions and an alternative vehicles has to be found in this regard," Brown told the House of Representatives.