L-Amerka Latina u l-Karibew

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Il-KESE ilu jaħdem mal-organizzazzjonijiet imsieħba mill-Amerka Latina u l-Karibew mis-snin disgħin. Diversi Opinjonijiet tal-KESE ffukaw fuq ir-relazzjonijiet ma’ dan ir-reġjun, f’livell reġjonali, sottoreġjonali u nazzjonali. Il-prijoritajiet tal-KESE jinkludu l-iżvilupp tal-organizzazzjonijiet tas-soċjetà ċivili, l-iżvilupp ekonomiku u soċjali, l-integrazzjoni reġjonali u l-kooperazzjoni fl-isfera multilaterali.

Fil-livell reġjonali, il-KESE jorganizza laqgħat biennali bejn ir-rappreżentanti tal-organizzazzjoni tas-soċjetà ċivili fl-Ewropa, fl-Amerka Latina u fil-Karibew, bħala wieħed mill-avvenimenti ta’ tħejjija qabel is-Summit EU-CELAC. 

Fil-livell sottoreġjonali u nazzjonali, ġew stabbiliti diversi strutturi permanenti: fl-2009, il-KESE waqqaf Round Table tas-soċjetà ċivili mal-Kunsill Ekonomiku u Soċjali Brażiljan bil-għan li jipprovdi forum għad-djalogu u l-kooperazzjoni kontinwa bejn rappreżentanti tas-soċjetà ċivili mill-Brażil u mill-Ewropa. Il-Ftehim ta’ Assoċjazzjoni bejn l-UE u ċ-Ċilì ta lill-Kumitat mandat biex jistabbilixxi Kumitat Konsultattiv Konġunt mal-kontraparti tiegħu mis-soċjetà ċivili Ċilena, bil-għan li jiġi ssorveljat il-ftehim, li fl-aħħar mill-aħħar ġie stabbilit fl-2016. Fejn jidħlu l-pajjiżi tal-Komunità Andina, il-KESE jieħu sehem fil-Grupp Konsultattiv Domestiku li jissorvelja l-ftehim ta’ kummerċ ħieles bejn l-UE u l-Kolombja/il-Perù/l-Ekwador. Jipparteċipa wkoll fil-Kumitat Konsultattiv CARIFORUM-UE, li jissorvelja l-Ftehim ta’ Sħubija Ekonomika CARIFORUM-UE. Ġew stabbiliti relazzjonijiet permanenti mal-kontrapartijiet istituzzjonali tal-KESE fil-MERCOSUR (il-Forum Konsultattiv Ekonomiku u Soċjali) u fl-Amerka Ċentrali (il-Kumitat Konsultattiv tas-Sistema tal-Integrazzjoni tal-Amerka Ċentrali).

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    Report
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    Ex-post evaluation of the EPA between the EU and its Member States and the CARIFORUM Member States

    January 2020

    Ex-post evaluation CARIFORUM-EU EPA January 2020
  • Document type
    Joint declaration
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    Joint Statement from the fifth meeting of the CARIFORUM-EU Consultative Committee
  • Document type
    Joint declaration
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    Concept note proposal to establish a CARIFORUM-EU Centre in Europe – Joint Statement appendix
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    Environmental issues in economic partnership agreements: Implications for developing countries
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    In October 2008, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Dominican Republic, being members of the Forum of the Caribbean Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM), signed the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU). Haiti signed the agreement in December 2009, but has not yet applied it, as it still has to be ratified.

    The first objective of Article 1 of the Agreement indicated that the EPA is expected to contribute to “the reduction and eventual eradication of poverty through the establishment of a trade partnership consistent with the objective of sustainable development, the Millennium Development Goals and the Cotonou Agreement” but also to promote regional integration, economic cooperation and good governance, and to improve CARIFORUM States' capacity in trade policy and trade-related issues.

    In the context of the implementation of this EPA, the ILO Decent Work Team (DWT) for the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean based in Trinidad and Tobago put together, with the financial support of the EU, the project “Support to Facilitate Participation of CARIFORUM Civil Society in the Regional Development and Integration Process: Challenges to CARIFORUM Labour, Private Sector and Employers to Fulfil their EPA Obligations”. It targeted all CARIFORUM countries and was to be implemented between 2015 and 2018. This project is herein after referred to as the “ILO-EU Project”.

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    The Implementation of Article 232 CARIFORUM-EU Consultative Committee
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    At the dawn of the new millennium, the European Union (EU) wanted to change profoundly its economic and commercial relationship with the countries of the Africa-
    Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) with whom she had a privileged relationship. This relationship was hitherto based for a quarter of a century on a traditional vision support to the former British and French colonies through the opening non-reciprocal nature of the European market to products originating from these countries. This arrangement was gradually considered ineffective and not in accordance with the rules of the international trade. This led the EU to favor a new approach neo-liberal inspiration, nuanced by a certain consideration of the differences in between the EU and ACP countries. It has in fact acted, through the Economic Partnership (EPA), to put in place free trade agreements between
    the EU and large ACP regions, de jure demanding a strong reciprocity with openness from 2008 ACP markets to products (goods and services) originating in the EU.

    Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) as a support tool for ACP countries in their economic development strategy and market: the case of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA
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    The OECS and IOC are two small regional integration and cooperation organizations, respectively, founded by small island ACP States to support them in their economic and social development efforts, and which have subsequently opened up to a certain degree of differentiated participation in French overseas territories in a context of evolving international and commercial relations.
    In this article, we propose a comparative analysis of these two organizations and this participation, highlighting the common points, but also the important legal, political, socio-economic and financial differences.
    The first part is devoted to the comparative analytical presentation of the two organizations, before going on to discuss in a second part the question of the participation of French Overseas Territories and its differentiated modalities. The conclusion provides an overall assessment of observed dynamics.

    Regional Integration and Participation of French Overseas: A Comparative Analysis of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC)
  • Document type
    Joint declaration
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    Joint Declaration