PM Golding Chairs CARICOM Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee Meeting Ahead of CARICOM Conference

Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding today chaired the Caricom Prime Ministerial sub-committee on external negotiations which received recommendations on a number of trade issues affecting the region.
The meeting, which was held a day ahead of the official opening of the 30th Caricom summit in Georgetown Guyana, allowed heads to discuss preparations for the commencement of Caricom-Canada negotiations for a trade and development agreement, developments for banana exports and the implementation of the Cariforum-EC Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
Prime Minister Golding said that the meeting was timely as the EPA was signed over a year ago and there were a number of issues arising which demanded attention at the highest level.
Other matters that engaged the regional heads and other government officials were the incorporation of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery in the Caricom secretariat, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED).
The effect of the global economic downturn on the region, the impact of a strong Caricom and strengthening relationships between Caricom and other countries will arise when the 30th regular meeting of the conference of Caricom heads gets underway today.