Programme

Draft programme Thursday 20 March 2025

9:00 am - 9:30 am Registration and welcome coffee

9:30 am - 10:00 am Welcome and opening remarks

• Co-Chairs of the CARIFORUM-EU CC
• Senator the Hon. Michael Brian Halkitis, Minister of Economic Affairs and Member of Parliament, The Bahamas
• Dr Erja Askola, Head of the EU Delegation to Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas

10:00 am – 11:45 am Briefing on the 5-year review of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA, 

on its potential benefits (amongst others for SMEs), 
on the impact of recent joint statements published by the CARIFORUM-EU Consultative Committee and 
on the provisional application of the OACPS-EU Samoa Agreement

• Alexis Downes-Amsterdam, Director General of CARIFORUM, CARICOM Secretariat
• Akil Yearwood, Trade in Services and Investment Specialist, CARIFORUM-EU EPA
• Ewa Czarnecka, DG Trade/C1 – Trade Relations with CARIFORUM and CUBA, 
  European Commission

11:45 am – 12:30 pm Briefing on the situation in Haiti

• Ulrika Richardson, UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti

12:30 pm – 1:45 pm Group picture and lunch offered by the European Commission

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm Update on the impact of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA on the implementation of ILO core conventions

• Shingo Miyake, International Labour Standards and Labour Law Specialist, Caribbean Office of the International Labour Organization (ILO)

2:45 pm – 3:45 pm Debate on the services dimension of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA

• Pascal Kerneis, Managing Director of the European Services Forum (ESF)

3:45 pm – 4:00 pm Networking coffee

4:00 pm –5:55 pm Discussion and adoption of a Joint Statement

5:55 pm – 6:00 pm Closing of the meeting

• Co-Chairs of the CARIFORUM-EU CC