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BY
RAPHAEL JOHN LALL
MINISTER in the Office of the Prime Minister, Lenny Saith,
said yesterday T&T cannot change the contents of the
recently concluded Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
between the European Union and Cariforum (Caricom and the
Dominican Republic) because the agreement was not a bi-lateral
one.
Saith made comment in the Senate in response to a question.
He said that T&T cannot change the contents of the agreement
without withdrawing from it.
“This
agreement is not a bi-lateral arrangement...each government
will now look at the prospects...but I stress it is not
a bi-lateral agreement.
“Consultations
have taken place on this matter. The separate Governments
have come together as a group, they are now reviewing it
among the governments. As I said no government could unilaterally
alter this unless you are no longer part of the agreement,”
he said.
Saith said before the EPA agreement reaches T&T’s
Parliament for debate there are several steps that it must
pass through regionally.
“Parties
to the agreement, that is the states in the grouping referred
to as Cariforum on one hand and the European Union on the
other, are currently engaged...once this is completed the
Caricom Secretariat will be required to present the agreement
to the regional ministers with responsibility for trade.
This is in part a fulfilment of the commitment given by
all Caricom member states in article 18:4 of the Revised
Treaty of Chaguaramas.
“The
Council for Trade and Economic Development which would have
received the reports of the negotiations at various stages
would be required to give the approval to the negotiating
text.
“This
approval together with the prior consultations at the level
of the co-Heads at the Conference of the Heads of Governments
has a mechanism that would have been established by the
conference in fulfillment of the commitment made by member
states in pursuance of article 82...once this process is
completed the Cabinet of the Republic of T&T is required
to give its approval...to prepare the necessary bill to
take to Parliament,” he said.
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