CARIFORUM-EU Council Reaffirms Commitment To Economic Partnership Agreement Implementation

By CARICOM Photos: CARICOM (CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) – The Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) and the European Union (EU) reaffirmed their commitment to the full implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) at the Fifth Meeting of the Joint CARIFORUM-EU Council in Santo Domingo on 19 June 2026. The Meeting marked the first dedicated political engagement between CARIFORUM and the EU on the EPA since 2017. The Joint Council reviewed progress in the implementation and functioning of the EPA and examined whether the Agreement’s objectives were being met and expected results being achieved. The Council is scheduled to conduct the next review of the EPA in 2028 and agreed on priority actions for attention before its next meeting. Discussions highlighted supply constraints, limited institutional capacity and EU regulatory measures affecting market access, as well as those affecting the ability of CARIFORUM businesses achieving market presence in the EU. The Joint Council mandated joint institutions to work towards identifying practical solutions to address these issues. The Fifth Meeting of the Joint Council was chaired by the CARIFORUM High Representative, the Honourable Eduardo Sanz Lovatón, Minister of Industry, Trade and MSMEs of the Dominican Republic. The EU Party delegation was led by EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency, Mr. Maroš Šefčovič, and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, representing the Council of the EU, Mrs. Theodora Constantinidou. The Joint CARIFORUM-EU Council is the highest body of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA and is responsible for supervising the implementation of the Agreement. The Sixth Meeting of the Joint Council is scheduled to be held in 2028 in Brussels, Belgium.