Presentation Alana Leah Benjamin Customs and Trade Officer Antigua & Barbuda EPA Implementation Unit

Strategic Initiatives by CARIFORUM Countries to capitalize on market access opportunities available to Caribbean Exporters of Services

Accura Beach Hotel, Rockley, Bridgetown, Barbados December 9th, 2010

Protocol Established Good Morning,

First, I would like to thank Ambassador Humphery, Professor Diaz, and the Barbados EPA Implementation Unit for inviting us to participate in this seminar as it is our Units firm belief that collaboration and sharing of best practices among the various National Units are important elements in the successful implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement.

I also wish to express apologies on behalf of my Ambassador Dr. Clarence Henry for his absence.

The Antigua and Barbuda EPA Implementation Unit commenced operations at the beginning of last month with the Ambassador heading the Unit, Ms. Barbara Williams in the capacity of Coordinator and myself, Trade Officer. The Unit was established with the broad mandate of providing guidance to stakeholders on utilizing the agreement to increase economic growth and enhance the overall sustainable development of Antigua and Barbuda.

As a result, a three pronged approach was developed to achieve this mandate (1) assisting with building a regulatory framework to facilitate the implementation of the agreement; (2) working with the private sector, as well as the public sector, to build capacity to take advantage of the improved market access and (3) aid with the monitoring of the Agreement to provide policy guidance on the national and regional levels. The Unit is in the process of developing a work programme and plan of action incorporating strategic initiatives to achieve time-bound goals. Since services sector are of importance to the Antiguan economy, we pinpointed five broad sectors for immediate attention. 1. Cultural Services Sector 2. Telecommunications Sector 3. Financial Services 4. Tourism Sector 5. Professional Services.

We are also conducting initial consultations with stakeholders to introduce the provisions of the Agreement and conduct a basic assessment of their concerns and immediate needs. During these consultations, we are urging service providers initially to utilize the market access under Mode 1 - crossborder supply - as a means of marketing their products and services to
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their target groups abroad. We are also encouraging utilizing e-commerce platforms.

However, Stakeholders have expressed two major concerns. 1. Lack of reliable and accessible information on the key service areas of interest in the European market. 2. Unforeseen barriers, particularly bureaucratic procedures.

Therefore, we have included in our short-term strategy is the provision of market intelligence on specific EU countries and key sectors of interest expressed by stakeholders and services providers on a request basis.

For the rest of the year into the first quarter of next year, We plan to continue these types of consultations, as well as encourage interested private sector stakeholders, to submit their concerns to the Unit to provide guidance on how the Unit can initially facilitate their needs through strategic initiatives. Currently, The Unit is focused on documenting the progress of implementation and articulating the implementation gaps of a range of provisions in the Agreement in preparation for the CARIFORUM-EU Trade and Development Committee Meeting in the first quarter of next year.