Boosting civil society involvement in the EU-CARIFORUM

PRESS RELEASE No /2012 12 June 2012

Boosting civil society involvement in the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is organising a Regional Seminar in the Caribbean in order to move forward the implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and especially the involvement of civil society organisations in the process.

The EPA is a trade and development partnership, signed in 2008 by the 15 states of CARIFORUM and the EU's 27 Member States. The goals are simple: to make it easier for people and businesses from the two regions to invest and trade with each other, and to spur development across the Caribbean.
The Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and Cariforum provides for the creation of the EU-Cariforum Consultative Committee, whose members will be representatives of civil society. This Consultative Committee should encompass all economic, social and environmental aspects of relations between the EU and Cariforum arising from the agreement's implementation.

The setting up and composition of this new body is the main issue that will be discussed during the seminar organised by the EESC in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on 5 6 July. The seminar will gather representatives of economic and social interest groups (trade unions, employer organisations, chambers of commerce, farmer organisations, consumer organisations and various NGO's) from the whole region together with representatives from the EU and other ACP countries.

The EESC will participate with a delegation of 12 members headed by Ms Brenda King, President of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee of the EESC.

Discussions will also be held on what the region can do to foster sustainable and inclusive growth in order to embrace the new era after the expiration of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.

ENDS

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