EPA controversy…Guyana takes lobby to ACP forum

Sep 26, 2008 News

CARICOM heads at the special CARICOM summit in Barbados earlier in the month took the decision to sign the contentious Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on October 15.
At his post Cabinet media briefing yesterday at the Office of the President, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon told members of the media that Guyana has been advised by the CARICOM Secretariat that the European Commission (EC) has agreed to the said date for the agreement to be signed, despite Guyana’s reservations.
President Bharrat Jagdeo had stated Guyana’s reluctance to sign the agreement because of certain aspects of the EPA, which he noted can prove to be disastrous for the country in the long term.
Dr. Luncheon noted that the October 15 date is fast approaching and as such indicated that there are some additional activities planned, where the result could have an impact on Guyana’s stance on the issue.
One such activity, he said, is the confirmation by the European Community that signing a ‘goods only’ agreement would result in Guyana being visited by the dire imposition of adverse tariffs on Guyana’s exports to the European market.
It was also noted that the heads of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) governments will be meeting on October 2, and Guyana will once again use the forum to reiterate its stance on the EPA.
The Guyana delegation will be led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues.
There is an argument that Guyana could have made its objections about the EPA known before it entered into the negotiation, but when questioned about this, Dr Luncheon said that President Jagdeo had raised objections to different aspects of the agreement at previous CARICOM Heads meetings.
The objections were duly noted but it seems as though the Heads had adopted a position that was contrary to Guyana’s even before the negotiations.
Dr. Luncheon said that since the national consultations were held in Guyana, the civil society in Guyana has lobbied its counterparts in the region for increased mobilisation against the signing of the initial agreement.
He noted that Guyanese, religious organisations, private sector and organized labour bodies in conjunction with their regional counterparts have been petitioning governments and the international organization to support Guyana’s position on the agreement.
“The region is facing a stern test with clear options being presented to its leadership. Locally, the anti EPA stance was surprisingly abandoned by the opposition PNCR. Cabinet dismissed their stance as confused and equally confusing; their argumentation unsupported by facts and their purpose self serving,” Luncheon said.
He said that the Government of Guyana will continue to work with like-minded governments, individuals, organizations and personalities to bear a collective impact and achieve a collective response to the issue.
“Ultimately, Guyana will respond to the challenges that this course of action could generate.”
When asked if there is any clause in the agreement that states that six months after the signing, a country can opt out of the agreement, Luncheon explained that there is no such clause in the agreement dealing with opting out.
Rather, if a country experiences difficulties after the signing of the agreement, an assessment of the problem will be done and then there will be a resort to discussions to deal with the problem or problems.
Would Guyana sign the EPA on October 15?
Dr Luncheon said that this would be determined by the outcome of the October 2 lobby.
And the veiled EU threat still looms.

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