Summary: June 28, 2005: EU-ACP: The EU grants €238,000 in support of Eastern Caribbean States Representation at WTO in Geneva (Brussels)
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States has today opened a Technical Mission to the WTO in Geneva with the support of the European Union, which will grant €238,000 through the European Development Fund. This mission will strengthen the representation of Eastern Caribbean States in the WTO by assisting their participation in the work of the WTO. It will also contribute to cementing regional economic and trade integration in the Eastern Caribbean region.
The mission of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) will represent the ACP small islands which are members of the OECS, Antigua & Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The mission will help the small islands of the OECS participate in the work of the WTO and in particular in the specific work programme on issues relating to trade in small economies and islands. It is co-funded by the OECS and the EU through the European Development Fund.
EU support for the establishment of the OECS Mission in Geneva is part of a 10-million Euro EDF facility for assisting ACP countries in the WTO. The EU has previously supported the setting-up of an office of the Secretariat of the ACP group in Geneva (2002) and the opening of the Pacific ACP countries representation to the WTO. Under the Trade.Com programme, the EU covers the costs of a senior trade adviser supporting the OECS.
The EU has called for the special needs and constraints of small economies to be recognised and reflected in the various negotiating topics under the DDA. This objective is also central to the negotiations on Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and 15 Caribbean countries.
For more information:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/issues/newround/index_en.htm
http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/issues/bilateral/regions/acp/index_en.htm
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