Guyana on EPA

The group Concerned Caribbean Citizens (CCC) is supporting suggestions that regional countries will not significantly benefit from the new Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), between Europe and CARIFORUM countries.



President of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo has insisted that Caribbean countries will not make significant gains from the new deal.



Concerned Caribbean Citizens is urging the authorities to conduct a full public review before the EPA is officially signed.



A parliamentary committee set up in Jamaica has also proposed some amendments to the deal.



In a release issued last weekend, the Caribbean group insisted that there was not enough public consultation before the EPA was completed.



The agreement was reached at the end of last year.



Europe had declared that unless a new arrangement was put in place, regional countries would have to trade with the European Union (EU) under the same conditions as other countries.