Cabinet Approves Amendments to Customs Act for EPA

Cabinet has approved amendments to the Customs Act, to give effect to duty free access into Jamaica, a list of items contained in the CARIFORUM/European Community (EC) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
“The Cabinet was advised that the EPA would enter into force upon completion of the legislative requirements and notification thereof by the CARIFORUM member states, and that for Jamaica, this required amendments to the Customs Act to allow for the reduction of the Common External Tariff (CET) on the list of items as per Appendix 1 of Annex 3 of the Agreement,” states a document, issued at the recent post-Cabinet press briefing.
The document, issued by Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Hon. Daryl Vaz, states that the CARIFORUM/EC Agreement is a comprehensive document that spans a cross section of trade-related issues.
“To give practical effect to the Agreement, provisions regarding rules of origin, technical barriers to trade, safeguard measures, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, antidumping measures, investment, trade in services and e-commerce, environment, public procurement, competition policy, innovation and intellectual property, among others, have been negotiated,” the document reads.
In addition, Cabinet approved the issuing of the necessary drafting instructions to the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, as well as notification to be given to the CARIFORUM/EC Secretariats and the Secretary General of the Council of the European Union, that the relevant internal measures were in place.
“Cabinet also approved the inclusion, in the legislative programmes, of the pending amendments necessary to give full effect to the EPA,” the document notes.