By Kevin Costelloe
BRUSSELS, Belgium (Bloomberg): A group of Caribbean nations including Jamaica, Barbados and the Dominican Republic gained access for their exports to the European Union under an accord reached between the two sides.
A "full" Economic Partnership Agreement has been agreed, the European Commission, the EU's executive body in Brussels, said in an e-mailed statement on Sunday.
"The agreement yesterday guarantees and extends access for the Caribbean countries' exports to the EU," the statement said. The full pact includes "trade in goods, trade in services, rules on trade-related issues as well as development cooperation."
The EU offered to continue duty-free and quota-free access for exports from about 80 nations, including Caribbean countries, as long as they progressively scale back tariffs against each other and Europe. The European body has been seeking new Economic Partnership Agreements by year-end to meet World Trade Organization demands.
The other nations included in the Caribbean group, known as "Cariforum," are Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname.
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