RNM UPDATE 0606

March 17, 2006

Prepared by the Communications Division of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), this
electronic newsletter focuses on the RNM, trade negotiation issues within its mandate and related activities.

- JAMAICAN PM REFLECTS ON GLOBALIZATION, TRADE AT OAS MEET

- RNM COUNTRY MISSION TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HAILED A SUCCESS

- LITTLE HEADWAY MADE AT G6 MINISTERIAL MEET, BREAKTHROUGH ELUSIVE

- RNM ADVISORY GROUP ENDORSES PRIVATE SECTOR STRATEGY

- ADJUSTING TO NEW REALITIES OF THE GLOBAL TRADING SYSTEM, A SERVICES ORIENTATION

FOR SMALL ECONOMIES

- Special Feature: RNM MILESTONE – NINE YEARS IN OPERATION

* Erratum

- NEWS BRIEFS

- UPCOMING EVENTS

JAMAICAN PM REFLECTS ON GLOBALIZATION, TRADE AT OAS MEET

Speaking at a Protocolary Meeting convened in his honor at the Organization of American States
(OAS) in Washington, D.C. March 9, H.E. the Most Hon. Percival J. Patterson, Prime Minister of
Jamaica, delivered a wide-ranging speech (for ‘video clip’ of speech, see www.crnm.org) that took
stock of his vision for the Caribbean and the Americas. His speech was framed in the context of
current global realities and commitments that are shared between the Caribbean and its neighbors,
and that must be approached collectively in order to advance the political, economic and social
development of the Hemisphere.

The Jamaican leader drew attention to the nexus between developments in the regional integration
process of CARICOM and developments taking place hemispherically, examining how they are
coalescing. In his speech, Prime Minister Patterson underscored the impact of the forces of
globalization and trade liberalization and their affect on the Caribbean and the implications for the
Region’s interaction with the wider Hemisphere.

1
Prime Minister Patterson has announced that he will proceed on retirement March 30, the same
day on which he will tender his resignation to Jamaica’s Governor General Professor Sir Kenneth
Hall. He said that in keeping with the desire for a seamless transition of leadership, Prime Minister
In-Waiting the Hon. Portia Simpson Miller will be sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Jamaica on
that same day.

RNM COUNTRY MISSION TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HAILED A SUCCESS

A team of Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) technical staff were in the Dominican
Republic this week. The mission comprised three strands of encounters.

The first set of meetings involved Mr. Henry Gill, the RNM’s Senior Director. His official visit was
facilitated by H.E. Julio Ortega Tous, Executive Secretary of the governmental Coordinating Office
for the National Commission for Trade Negotiations (CNNC), housed in the Dominican Ministry of
Foreign Relations. In separate meetings with Ambassador Ortega and then with CNNC staff, Mr.
Gill had wide-ranging exchanges, traversing such topics as CARIFORUM-EU Economic
Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations, CARIFORUM institutional relations, CARICOM-
Dominican relations, ways of furthering collaboration between the Dominican negotiating apparatus
and the RNM, Dominican interests in agricultural commodities and Services, and issues centered
on trade statistics and sensitive sectors.

While in the Dominican Republic, Mr. Gill also had a series of meetings with the Dominican private
sector, facilitated by Consejo Nacional de la Empresa Privada, Inc. (a national umbrella body of
private sector operators). He also met with the Dominican National Authorizing Officer. The RNM
deputy head met separately with a group of Dominican lawyers, too. These exchanges examined
Dominican commercial interests in the context of external trade negotiations. Located on the
eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola bordering Haiti, the Dominican Republic is
primarily dependent on Agriculture and Services - especially tourism. In recent years, the Services
sector has received a boost from Free Trade Zones, too. However, Agriculture remains a critically
important sector, as with mining contributing significantly to employment and export earnings. The
Dominican Sugar industry is an important pillar of the countries’ agricultural activities, but so to is
the Banana industry. The Dominican Republic is ranked amongst the world’s leading producers of
organic bananas; although there is production and export of both organic and conventional
bananas.

Ambassador Ortega told RNM UPDATE “the Dominican Republic has a coincidence of trade
interests with CARICOM - a catalyst for the creation of CARIFORUM which serves, amongst other
functions, to leverage trade cooperation, especially as regards the EPA negotiations with the EU
and multilaterally in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round.” As a RNM Member State,
the Dominican Republic is part of the process of consultation and coordination of positions in these
two arenas of negotiation. Ties between the Dominican Republic and CARICOM have been
strengthened not only by its 1989 accession to the Lome Convention, but consolidated further by
the completion of the CARICOM-Dominican Republic FTA several years later. “Through the
framework of the CARICOM-DR FTA, the Dominican Republic is hoping to further deepen its

2
commercial relations with CARICOM,” Senor Hugo Ramirez Risk, Director of Negotiations at
CNNC, told RNM UPDATE.

“Committed to strengthened relations with the English-Speaking Caribbean, the Dominican

Republic has consistently pursued a policy of engagement. There is a recognition that as smaller
economies in international trade, the interests of CARICOM and the Dominican Republic
coalesce,” Ambassador Ortega underscored.

The objective of the second component of the RNM’s country mission to the Dominican Republic
this week was to conduct consultations with stakeholders, to assist in the preparation of EPA draft
goods and services offers and requests. RNM specialist staff led these exchanges, in concert with
two consultants, currently housed in the RNM and mandated to assist RNM Member States in
putting together goods and services offers and requests. The team of RNM officials met with a
wide-range of Dominican stakeholders, that included state and non-state actors. The consultations
were extremely well attended, especially by the private sector.

Spearheaded by the RNM, the consultations were well received, and the RNM was lauded for this
initiative, that brought into sharper focus the offensive and defensive commercial interests of the
Dominican Republic, especially as regards on-going EPA talks. The Dominican consultations were
the first in a series of in-country RNM missions scheduled to take place through 2006, to assist
CARIFORUM Member States in the preparation of EPA draft goods and services offers and
requests.

The third component of the RNM’s mission constituted consultations undertaken by a consultant
commissioned by the RNM to undertake an ‘Aid for Trade’ study for the Caribbean Region. There
are four countries in the consultant’s sample: Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guyana and
Jamaica. As part of the consultant’s interface with regional stakeholders for the ‘Aid for Trade’
Report, a wide cross-section of Dominican stakeholders were interviewed.

LITTLE HEADWAY MADE AT G6 MINISTERIAL MEET, BREAKTHROUGH ELUSIVE

Trade Ministers from six key players in WTO talks – the EU, US, Australia, Brazil, India, Japan –
met over the weekend in London for a two-day meeting, that ended Saturday. A breakthrough
proved elusive, although one party acknowledged that the meeting had not sought a “major
breakthrough”, in the first place.

Little progress was made at that G6 Trade Ministers meet, intended to narrow differences
over core elements of Doha Round talks - Agriculture and industrial goods. At the core of the effort
to build consensus is resolving the difficult issues in agricultural market access and trade-distorting
domestic support and market access in the case of industrial goods, for which only incremental
progress was made in the weekend meeting, in terms of a better understanding of the broad
outline of an agreement. Although they were seriously “discussing and testing numbers”, G6
Ministers did not agree on tariff-cutting formulas for market access openings in Agriculture and
industrial goods (divergences remain in respect of the NAMA formula coefficients, too),

3
respectively. Agreement in these specific areas has proven particularly difficult to reach, reflecting
a sharp divide between developed and developing country G6 Members, but also the fact that in
terms of “numbers testing” the process is still not sufficiently mature for overall balance to take
place. On Services, Ministers were hopeful that the plurilateral mode would give impetus to the
negotiations.

While some G6 negotiators have struck an upbeat note, characterizing the encounter as
“constructive”, others remain more circumspect, pronouncing on the negotiating circumstances and
positions as “not being ripe” for agreement to be clinched.

Ofcourse, as the weekend meeting failed to break the deadlock, there is renewed uncertainty over
whether agreement can be reached in time for the end-of-April deadline for full modalities, set in
Hong Kong last December. WTO Director General Pascal Lamy has been reinforcing the point this
week that Members must honour the commitment made at Hong Kong as regards the April date,
amid growing speculation in Geneva that agreement on modalities may have to be delayed until
the Summer. Slippage in the agreed schedule will, however, have implications for the Round’s
end-date. Lamy did convene a ‘Green Room’ meeting of about thirty Members in Geneva March
14, to provide a ‘de-brief’ on the outcome of the G6 Ministerial meeting. In his assessment, the G6
meeting was useful, but he acknowledged there were no breakthroughs and that it was very
evident there were still a “few hard nuts to crack.” He relayed several key messages to the
meeting, including: (i) the importance of maintaining a high level of ambition; (ii) the need to
address proportionality (relative size of cuts by developed and developing countries in Agriculture
and in NAMA); (iii) the need to narrow differences on the silos, as regards domestic support
(overall cuts, AMS, de minimis, product caps) and agricultural market access (tiers and formula,
sensitive products – including their number and treatment, and special products - both definition
and treatment); and, (iv) addressing coefficients and flexibilities in NAMA. The meeting ended with
Lamy indicating his intention to continue bilateral and group contact.

Following bilateral talks in London the week of March 6 and on the eve of the G6 Ministerial
Meeting, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called
for a summit of world leaders to ‘kick-start’ faltering WTO talks - “orchestrate [a] breakthrough”, as
was underscored. Blair and Lula issued a joint statement on trade, March 9, noting:

“We agreed today that we share a common view of the main elements of an ambitious, pro
development, outcome from the round. Current offers on the table fall far short of the deal we
want. We believe that all the main parties in the talks need to take bold steps to go beyond
established negotiating positions to improve their offers on agricultural market access and
domestic support, NAMA and services. Those offers must also take account of the needs of
developing countries by delivering improved market access in both agricultural and non-agricultural
goods that is comparably high, but in a balanced and proportionate manner, consistent with the
principle of special and differential treatment.”

Given the results of the G6 Ministerial Meeting, it appears that the merits of a meeting of world
leaders to advance a process that appears to be stumbling, yet again, will now be brought into
sharper focus. As G6 Trade Ministers contemplate a follow up meeting, it is widely agreed that on
the vexing issues that confront the Group key trade-offs and compromise are urgently needed,

4
premised on tough decisions, without which ‘the bigger picture’ that is the Doha Round will be
placed in jeopardy. G6 Senior Officials are slated to meet on the margins of the upcoming WTO
Agriculture Week, set for March 20 to 24.

The issue at the forefront of the minds of negotiators is the looming April modalities deadline; more
so, the implications of missing that deadline, if the necessary enabling environment is not put in
place in advance of this marker by consensus amongst the G6. If the deadline is missed, the
precise timetable for the Round this year would be derailed and prospects for completing the
negotiations in advance of President Bush losing “fast-track” authority in mid-2007 placed in
jeopardy.

G-6 countries represent a cross-section of trading interests in WTO talks, reflecting a combination
of offensive and defensive approaches in respect of core Doha Round issues.

RNM ADVISORY GROUP ENDORSES PRIVATE SECTOR STRATEGY

Convened in Kingston, Jamaica last week, the RNM Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG)
endorsed key recommendations of a study undertaken to inform the RNM’s plans and strategy for
sustained private sector outreach. The purpose of the study was to glean the private sector’s
perspectives on external trade negotiations, identifying critical capacity building needs of regional
business organizations.

The PSAG meeting, which endorsed the strategy, was chaired by RNM Director General
Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal. The RNM’s Private Sector Liaison, Mr. Lincoln Price, briefed
PSAG members on the findings of the commissioned study. The recommendations call, among
other things, for the RNM to take part in as many private sector conferences and trade shows as
possible; help national private sector associations to attend trade negotiations, by mobilizing donor
funding; build the capacity of specific regional associations through intense training programmes
on trade; and benchmark the private sector’s engagement through consistent research and
surveys on prevailing perceptions of trade negotiations and agreements.

“The implementation of these recommendations will boost our already active programme of
engagement with the Region’s private sector, which we have considerably expanded during the
past year,” said Ambassador Bernal.

Comprising top business executives, the PSAG was established to serve as the oversight body for
the RNM’s private sector outreach strategy. Present at last week’s meeting were: RNM Private
Sector Advisor and President of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), Mr.
Jimmy Moss-Solomon; Peter McConnell, CEO, Trade Winds Citrus ltd); Dr. Marshall Hall,
Chairman, Jamaica Producers; and, representatives of the Jamaica Exporters Association (JEA),
JAMPRO and the Jamaica Manufacturer’s Association (JMA). RNM Director of Technical
Cooperation and Partnerships Mr. Trevor Boothe has oversight of and directs the RNM’s private
sector initiatives. There are plans to hold consultations with leading private sector stakeholders in
other RNM Member States in coming months.

5
ADJUSTING TO NEW REALITIES OF THE GLOBAL TRADING SYSTEM, A SERVICES
ORIENTATION FOR SMALL ECONOMIES

“Small developing economies are a subset of the developing countries economic category. Their
concerns and objectives are distinct, and in some cases unique, differing from other developing
economies. They must participate in trade negotiations in order to ensure that their particular
specialised interests are recognised and accorded appropriate treatment” (Richard Bernal, Small
Developing Economies and the Multilateral Trading System: A Caribbean perspective, see
http://www.crnm.org/documents/studies/staff%20papers/CFM_Bernal.pdf).

Trade is extremely important for Small Developing Economies (SDEs). Caribbean countries are
described as SDEs, not only because they are small, but also vulnerable. Smallness and
vulnerablility impact on economic growth prospects. This is particularly the case for countries like
those of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), a chain of Caribbean island
countries in the Eastern Caribbean.

With extremely small economies such as those of the OECS, there are limited factor endowments
and concentrated production, and as such the OECS has traditionally had to interact with the
global economy. For microstates like the OECS, a substantial portion of exports of goods and
services comprise GDP, i.e. a high trade-to-GDP ratio. In larger countries, such as emerging
markets like Brazil, that share is significantly less than small countries. But yet, in many Caribbean
countries, the percentage of GDP in respect of goods and services exports has declined over the
last two decades, while that percentage has increased in many larger emerging markets. This
trend suggests that Caribbean countries may be exporting less and importing more, in absolute
terms.

While presenting opportunities, the global trading system is also placing considerable strain on the
vulnerable OECS. In a recent address marking the New Year, St Vincent & the Grenadines Prime
Minister and OECS Chairman, Dr. the Hon. Ralph Gonsalves noted:

“The current international environment with the emphasis on the dismantling of most barriers to
trade painfully reminds us of the benefits once reaped by our farmers in the now fast disappearing
era of trade preferences. Bananas and sugar were then the engines of growth. Now even as the
advocates of modern capitalism preach to us the virtues of diversification and greater focus on the
services sector, they conspire to block our competitiveness in international financial services,
claiming that our competitive tax regimes amount to harmful taxation.”

The fact remains, however, there is fierce, permanent competition for markets and investment, and
so for microstates such as the OECS the question is not whether or not to negotiate, but rather
how to do so. In recent years, the concept of ‘Small Economy’ has gained recognition in
multilateral and regional negotiating fora. In respect of the former, the recently concluded WTO
Hong Kong Ministerial addressed issues germane to this group, and similarly an important initiative
emanating from the Ministerial – ‘Aid for Trade’ – has extended beyond LDCs to incorporate other
developing countries like Small Economies. Similarly, in regional agreements like the Free Trade

6
Area of the Americas (FTAA) – currently in hiatus – small economies forms part of the rubric of
negotiations.

There is growing recognition internationally of Small Economy issues and concerns, as well as
their problematique in the international trade context. In terms of an appreciation for their inherent
vulnerability, the debate multilaterally has moved beyond principles to examining specific
undertakings in respect of small economies.

But the fact remains, what constitutes Special and Differential Treatment is changing, with the
erosion of such traditionally accepted approaches as preferential access and non-reciprocal
protection within preferential trading arrangements, with implications for the OECS. Cognizant of
their ‘peculiar circumstance’ as microstates, the OECS are extremely wary about being afforded
only longer adjustment periods within which to implement agreed trade liberalization as a means of
Special and Differential Treatment. Therefore, prevailing trends of a narrow interpretation of
Special and Differential Treatment are cause for concern in the OECS, affecting its orientation to
and outlook on the negotiating theatres it is involved in. But there is pragmatism on the part of the
OECS, in recognition of the changing nature of trading relationships. For example, the fulcrum on
which its relationship with Europe has been based – the export primarily of agricultural
commodities under protected conditions – is changing. The result is twofold: first, there is growing
recognition of the need to adapt to and embrace changing trading relations, and secondly, to re-
orient the frameworks on which those relations are built, including the identification of non-
traditional forms of Special and Differential Treatment.

In reshaping its approach to trade policy in recognition of the new trading realities confronting it, the
OECS must, however, position itself to engage in new, more dynamic sectors of world trade, so as
to truly take advantage of globalization. This holds open the attractive prospect of diversification of
their economic and technological base, as well as buttressing export value-added. Further
diversification into Services fits nicely with the resource and economic endowment circumstances
of the OECS, as merchandise product groups generally offer low domestic value-added in these
countries. In recent years, key merchandise exports, including traditional agricultural products,
have either not performed well or seen only marginal growth.

The Services sector is critically important to Small Economies like the OECS. The sector includes
a broad spectrum from traditional services (distribution, transport, government) to tourism, data
processing and financial services; with the Services sector – primarily tourism - consistently
contributing to increased employment, foreign exchange earnings and value-added over a twenty-
year period (Final Draft OECS EPA Impact Study, 2006). The significance of the Services sector is
also apparent in the fact that these countries cannot have proper functioning agricultural or
manufacturing sectors without an efficiently functioning Services sector. The performance of that
sector, therefore, impacts on the economy at large.

The OECS has to fully appreciate the importance of Services trade in respect of: (a) its economic
and trade activities; and, (b) the global economy. Citing the fact that the OECS are predominantly
Services economies, some observers note that too much attention and a disproportionate share of
resources are focused on the ‘goods side.’

7
A paradigm shift in the OECS’s approach to trade policy needs to take account of the reality of
these countries being Services-based economies, but also needs to position respective private
operators in these countries to interact efficaciously with an international environment driven by
fierce competition for investment. The sub-region needs to more aggressively insert itself in this
process, and in concert with CARICOM (and where appropriate CARIFORUM) countries as a
whole structure negotiating tactics and objectives accordingly. The EPA is an important framework
for this sort of positioning. Bi-regional and bilateral agreements allow for faster movement and
more focused consideration of trade objectives and interests, relative to the slow, lumbering WTO
system. The OECS, as with other microstates, are in competition with competitors for investment
that can help ameliorate supply-side capacities, and so the sub-region must keep up with efforts to
negotiate the terms for attracting that investment.

The six independent OECS Member States are: Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts &
Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines.

Special Feature: RNM MILESTONE – NINE YEARS IN OPERATION

Next month, the RNM and its Member States will mark a milestone, the ninth anniversary of the
establishment of the RNM. This Special Feature provides insight into the genesis of the RNM,
reviewing its role and bringing into focus trade negotiation arenas within its mandate and related
activities.

The RNM’s Establishment

The Caribbean Region is involved in a packed agenda of international trade negotiations, its most
formidable in the post-independence period, both in respect of scale and complexity. Caribbean
Governments recognize the complexity and importance of external trade negotiations, which have
implications for the regional trade in goods and services, but also for the long-term development
prospects of the Region. It is this recognition that compelled CARICOM Heads of Government to
mandate the establishment of the RNM in April 1997, so as to have in place an agency dedicated
to mediating the Region’s encounter with the global trading system and spearhead its strategic
global repositioning.

Negotiating Theatres

Against this backdrop, the RNM continues to discharge the responsibility given it by the
Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM nine years ago to develop, advance and
execute a cohesive, coherent trade negotiating strategy for the Region in the negotiating theatres
germane to it.

The Caribbean is simultaneously involved in four negotiating theatres: (i) WTO; (ii) FTAA; (iii)
CARIFORUM-European Union EPAs; and, (iv) bilateral negotiations, which currently are primarily
focused on possible negotiations between CARICOM and Canada and CARICOM and Mercosur,
respectively.

8
Shoring up the Region’s Capacity

“Umbrella entities like the RNM provide a means of maximizing the influence of small states in the
international forum,” says Ambassador Bernal, who assumed duties as Director General of the
organization in December 2001. The effect of an intensified, more complicated international trade
agenda has been that institutionally, due to cost and resource limitations, Caribbean countries
have been placed under severe strain. This complex, specialist international environment has
reinforced the importance of such intergovernmental bodies as the RNM, given the technical
resources and expertise it can bring to bear in on-going negotiations. Therefore, a major task of
the RNM is to bring a systematic and focused approach to new and pressing international trade
issues. Its structure, which taps into a regional pool of talent, provides a mechanism through which
the limited human and financial resources of individual Members can be combined and coordinated
to represent regional interests effectively.

Mandate and Role

Mandated as it is to advance the Region’s trade policy interests, the RNM is the primary regional
institution with responsibility in this area. The RNM plays a critical role in advancing a cohesive,
coherent approach to Caribbean trade policy, through the coordination and management of the
Caribbean Region’s negotiating resources and expertise. As the organization charged with
maximizing the benefits to the Region by its participation in international trade negotiations, the
RNM is tasked with providing advice, coordinating, facilitating and negotiating the Caribbean
Region’s external trade interests and agenda.

The RNM’s role is critically important, as trade accords have emerged as one of the central
catalysts of the global organization of production, investment and trade. Indeed, it is fair to say that
the commercial success and economic welfare of nations are leveraged on trade agreements, that
impact on a countries’ role in global trade and its ability to attract foreign investment.

The RNM and the Private Sector, Advancing Synergies

Firms trade, not governments. It is vital, therefore, that the private sector be proactively engaged
in the trade negotiation process.

Recently, the RNM has made significant strides in its interface with the Region’s private sector,
through the establishment of a dedicated project of outreach to private sector associations and
operators, chambers of commerce, trade centers and trade promotion organizations. Through a
partnership arrangement with the Inter American Development Bank under the MIF facility, the
RNM has a dedicated programme of capacity building and outreach on-stream, intended to
increase feedback from and catalyze interchange with the private sector. Augmenting this project,
the RNM has a Private Sector Liaison on staff, who serves as the primary point of contact with the
private sector, spearheading a number of activities involving the RNM and the Region’s
commercial sectors.

9
Goal, Member States and Location

The ultimate goal of the RNM is to ensure that its Member States’ development is not impeded by
changes in global trade arrangements, and that maximum benefit can be secured.

Together, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, The Bahamas, Cuba, Commonwealth of
Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, St Kitts & Nevis, St
Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, and, Trinidad & Tobago comprise the RNM’s Member States.

The Jamaica office serves as headquarters of the RNM. Barbados houses the RNM sub-office.
The RNM also maintains a presence in Brussels, Geneva, Guyana, St. Lucia (as OECS
Representative) and Trinidad & Tobago.

For more information on the RNM, trade negotiation issues within its mandate and related
activities, visit www.crnm.org

Erratum

In RNM UPDATE 0605 – March 8, 2006 edition, reference was made in the last paragraph of the
article ‘ST KITTS/NEVIS PM HEADS HIGH-LEVEL CARICOM SUGAR LOBBYING MISSION’ to
Euro 17.5 billion. This is a typo, and should read Euro 1.75 billion instead.

NEWS BRIEFS

Uruguay’s Growing Disenchantment with Mercosur

A dispute brewing between Argentina and Uruguay over the last several weeks regarding the
construction of pulp mills on the Uruguayan side of a river shared with Argentina has brought into
sharp focus underlying tensions in the Mercosur bloc, especially amongst smaller members like
Uruguay. Smaller Members have historically had grievances over their treatment within the
commercial bloc, whose full Members include Argentina, Brazil (the largest country and economy
in Latin America), Paraguay and Uruguay.

Last month, Uruguayan Economy Minister Danilo Astori signaled his countries’ interest in
considering a FTA with the United States. The Mercosur bloc does not have a FTA with the US.
Last week, representatives of the US and Uruguayan Governments announced that the next
meeting of the Joint Commission on Trade and Investment will be held in Washington, DC in early
April.

Uruguay has signaled a desire to diversify its agricultural base, and also develop its Service
sector.

10
Competitiveness Studies handed over to DR Commerce Secretary

In a handing over ceremony last month, the US Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Hans H.
Hertell, delivered to that countries’ Commerce Secretary, Francisco Javier Garcia, six sectoral
studies examining the competitiveness of various Dominican commercial sectors and
export/investment opportunities in the context of DR-CAFTA.

The focus of the studies are: (i) Evaluation of the Potential Impact of the DR-CAFTA on the
Dominican Industrial Sector (identifying potential markets for Dominican exports that could be
taken advantage of); (ii) Analysis of the Potential for the Production and Export of Disposable
Medical products in the Dominican Republic (the study reviews strategies for the development and
strengthening of the sector); (iii) Study of Competitiveness of the Dominican Footwear Industry (it
reviews export opportunities for the sector); (iv) Study on the Competitiveness of Dominican
Exports of Electrical and Electronic Goods; (v) Analysis of the Export potential of the Information
Communication Technology sector; and, (vi) Identification of Commercial Opportunities for the
Services Sector and Investment possibilities (emphasis on telecommunications and financial
services).

UPCOMING EVENTS

EPA-related Meetings in Barbados in March

21-24: EPA Technical Negotiating Sessions

24: Joint CARIFORUM-EU RPTF Meeting

25: EPA College of Negotiators meeting

27-28: CARIFORUM-EU Fifth EPA Principal Negotiators’ Meeting

Recipients of RNM UPDATE are authorised to forward this newsletter to other addresses. We
welcome suggestions for additions to our mailing list. If, on the other hand, you wish to be removed
from the list, kindly inform us.

For More Information Contact:

Nand C. Bardouille
Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery
3rd Floor, The Mutual Building, Hastings Main Road, Hastings, Christ Church, Barbados
Tel: (246) 430-1678
FAX: (246) 228-9528

11