CARIFORUM : Regional hoteliers knock EU on Economic Partnership Agreement proposals
Caribbean hoteliers have joined regional agriculturalists in expressing grave concern about the status of a new Economic Partnership Agreement which African Caribbean and Pacific States are negotiating with the European Union. Caribbean Hotel Association President, Peter Odle, said partners in the vital foreign exchange earning sector were particularly concerned over the status of negotiations with regards to tourism and viewed the EU’s proposal to be “entirely inadequate and unacceptable”. “Very generally, the CHA is dismayed that the EU is of the view that their one-page summarised document could adequately and fairly represent trading arrangements that will pertain between CARIFORUM (Caribbean Community and Dominican Republic) and the EU for the leading economic sector in the CARIFORUM region.
“We understand that the EU has shown little interest in considering CARIFORUM’s detailed and substantive proposal on tourism and we find this dismissive approach unproductive at the very least,” Odle said. The Caribbean tourism executive urged regional negotiators and all CARICOM member states to continue to push for agreement on the CARIFORUM proposed tourism text which evolved out of a joint Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO)/CHA position paper submitted to the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery towards the end of 2006. He said the EU’s tourism proposal omitted many critical elements proposed by CARIFORUM for the support of the tourism industry in a future trading agreement. Odle cited several examples of particulars that in CHA’s view had been omitted in the EU “non-paper” versus the CARIFORUM proposed text, such as details on mechanisms to address and prevent anti-competitive practices in tourism between the EU and CARIFORUM; the chapter and details on market access for CARIFORUM tourism service providers to the EU; and details on mutual recognition of tourism professionals.
With the subject of the EPA negotiations being one of the discussion points at the Caribbean Small Hotels Retreat which wrapped up here Friday, Odle said the entire proposal for a ‘Joint Committee on Tourism’ envisaged to guarantee ongoing dialogue between the EU and CARIFORUM on critical tourism related issues was completely excluded.
“Given the significance of the tourism industry for regional development, and the significance of the EU tourism market, the CHA would like to see due recognition given to tourism and a substantive text agreed to in the EPA,” the CHA President said.
ACP countries are seeking to finalise a new EPA agreement with the European Union ahead of the December 8 deadline. The EU has consistently argues that failure to finalise the agreement would result in them reverting to a less favourably trade arrangement.
Source - CBC
“We understand that the EU has shown little interest in considering CARIFORUM’s detailed and substantive proposal on tourism and we find this dismissive approach unproductive at the very least,” Odle said. The Caribbean tourism executive urged regional negotiators and all CARICOM member states to continue to push for agreement on the CARIFORUM proposed tourism text which evolved out of a joint Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO)/CHA position paper submitted to the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery towards the end of 2006. He said the EU’s tourism proposal omitted many critical elements proposed by CARIFORUM for the support of the tourism industry in a future trading agreement. Odle cited several examples of particulars that in CHA’s view had been omitted in the EU “non-paper” versus the CARIFORUM proposed text, such as details on mechanisms to address and prevent anti-competitive practices in tourism between the EU and CARIFORUM; the chapter and details on market access for CARIFORUM tourism service providers to the EU; and details on mutual recognition of tourism professionals.
With the subject of the EPA negotiations being one of the discussion points at the Caribbean Small Hotels Retreat which wrapped up here Friday, Odle said the entire proposal for a ‘Joint Committee on Tourism’ envisaged to guarantee ongoing dialogue between the EU and CARIFORUM on critical tourism related issues was completely excluded.
“Given the significance of the tourism industry for regional development, and the significance of the EU tourism market, the CHA would like to see due recognition given to tourism and a substantive text agreed to in the EPA,” the CHA President said.
ACP countries are seeking to finalise a new EPA agreement with the European Union ahead of the December 8 deadline. The EU has consistently argues that failure to finalise the agreement would result in them reverting to a less favourably trade arrangement.
Source - CBC
