CARICOM Today



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Remarks

BY THE

Secretary-General

CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY and Caribbean forum of acp states

AMBASSADOR IRWIN LAROCQUE

AT THE

Cariforum/eu regional consultation

on post-cotonou

Kingston, jamaica

15 april 2019

➢ Hon. Kamina Johnson-Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Jamaica;

➢ Honourable Ministers of the Caribbean Forum of ACP States

➢ Mr. Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development and Chief Negotiator European Commission;

➢ His Excellency Patrick Gomes, Secretary-General of the ACP;

➢ Hon. Robert Dussey, ACP Chief Negotiator;

➢ Ambassadors, Delegates;

➢ Ladies and Gentlemen

Today, we formally launch negotiations for a CARIFORUM/EU Regional Protocol which will form an integral part of an ACP/EU Post-Cotonou Agreement.

As we do so, I wish to welcome EU Commissioner Mimica who has travelled to be with us to underline the importance which he attaches to CARIFORUM/EU relations, and to us having a successful conclusion to the Regional Protocol.

Also present today are Secretary-General Ambassador P.I. Gomes and Professor Robert Dussey, the ACP Chief Negotiator. Their presence here serves to highlight ACP solidarity and unity in the approach to the Post-Cotonou Negotiations.

The environment provided for this event by the government and people of Jamaica will no doubt contribute significantly to commencing these negotiations on a successful note. Minister Johnson-Smith, I thank you, as we enjoy the well renowned hospitality of your country.

Honourable Ministers, Commissioner, it is well known that in addition to our long-standing historical ties, CARIFORUM States share common principles and values with the European Union.

These include respect for the Rule of Law, Human Rights and Principles of Good Governance. These principles and values are the foundation upon which the CARIFORUM/EU relationship, and indeed the ACP/EU relationship, have been built, maintained and nurtured since 1975, on the occasion of the First Lomé Convention. These are the ties that bind us.

The EU is one of the Region’s most valued partners. It is with appreciation for the quality of this historical relationship which we already share, that we approach these negotiations.

We are embarking on an ambitious programme which involves two sets of simultaneous negotiations. While it is important that we progress equally on both fronts, it is equally important to note that the Regional Protocol cannot be finalised before completion of the Foundation Agreement. This is to ensure consistency and policy coherence.

These negotiations present us with an opportunity to forge an agreement to reflect changing times, new challenges and current developments. In so doing we must take into account global realities and developments.

These include the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

We must also take into account the increasing economic, social, climatic and environmental vulnerabilities of CARIFORUM States; their high level of per capita debt; the difficulties they continue to experience in financing their own development; and their desire to build resilience to those vulnerabilities.

The negotiations will be centred around a number of strategic priority areas. One of those will be Regional integration and co-operation which is a fundamental element of our development policies.

While the event today is a launch and not a negotiating session, it is my understanding that the issue of taxation may be proposed for inclusion under the heading of good governance. I wish to sound a word of caution, since this is currently a contentious issue that could strain an otherwise solid relationship.

The recent experience of the blacklisting of a number of Member States has caused reputational damage. We are open to dialogue on any issue but the unilateral actions of blacklisting has not been subject to the kind of dialogue that has informed our relationship over the years.

For us taxation is not a good governance issue but an economic one. The determination of our tax rate, once it is transparent and devoid of corruption is a matter of fiscal policy which is our sovereign right.

There are agreed and accepted global standards for tax good governance, driven by a globally recognized international standard setter, the OECD. This where that discussion belongs.

Commissioner, we are looking forward to negotiating a modern, relevant and meaningful arrangement as part of our future relations between CARIFORUM and the EU, always mindful that the regional protocols will be implementation instruments of the Foundation Agreement.

The success of these negotiations will be measured by its ability to improve the lives of the people for whose benefit we are conducting them.

I thank you.

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