The document discusses a panel on trade and market access that focused on challenges and opportunities for implementing Economic Partnership Agreements between the Caribbean region and the European Union. It outlines objectives of the EPA including strengthening regional integration and improving market access. Additionally, it notes challenges to EPA implementation such as limited understanding of market requirements and lack of business support services to help firms adapt to new regulations.

1. TRADE & MARKET ACCESS
PANEL
An EPA Implementation Journey
Facilitator:
Ms. Telojo Valerie Onu, PgCert Trade Policy CEC™,
MA e-Governance
Accra Beach Hotel and Resort
Barbados
30th
May 2011

2. Economic Partnership Agreement
(EPA)
EPA Main Objectives:
•To strengthen the regional integration process
•To assist with economic development in the region
through commitments and improving access to the EU
market via a duty-free, quota-free trade regime and
simplified rules of origin for CARIFORUM goods,
including unprecedented access for certain services and
service providers.
•To address Trade Related Issues e.g. TBT, SPS,
Intellectual Property, Investment in order to reduce
Barriers

3. EPA Implementation Challenges
• Lack of dialogue/cooperation between private and public
stakeholders
• Inter-relationship between the commitments made in
Agriculture and those in other parts of the agreement-
Services, Investment, Intellectual Property.
• Need to move forward from an EPA negotiation phase to
Implementation
• Limited understanding of the Market Requirements and
access Issues
• Lack of adequate BSO services to enable their members to
fully adapt to regulations

4. TRADE & MARKET ACCESS
IMPERATIVES - IMPLEMENTATION
JOURNEY

5. PRO€INVEST
Recent Project Examples
Provided technical assistance to enable the
Caribbean private sector to fully benefit from
the EPAs through capacity building and services
development.
• CAR6289 – Caribbean Agro Industry EPA
Project -(Caribbean Agro-links Project)
• JAM6288 – Capacity Building for Jamaican
BSOs to enable them to implement the Export
Strategy

6. Project Structure

7. Enabling Environment
Themes:
• Leadership
• Organizational Change
• Innovation
Issues:
• Policies
• Legislations
• Regulations
• Culture and Mindsets
• Awareness, Capacity Building
• Market Intelligence
• Transformation
• Empowerment of Stakeholder
• Institutions
Project Mission Results

8. Good
Practices
Good
Practices
Success / Failure
Factors
Success / Failure
Factors
Theoretical
Frameworks
Practical
Models
Enabling
Environment
ServiceDelivery
Relations/Network
Operationalisation

9. Relations/Network
Themes:
• Partnership
• Coordination
• Information Sharing
• Industry Transformation
Issues:
• Value Chain
• Value Networking
• Clusters
• Strategic Alliances
• Culture/Mindset
• Export Readiness
• Infrastructure Building
• Change Management
• Capacity Building
• Private & Public Sector Participation
• Market Led Trade

10. Good
Practices
Good
Practices
Success / Failure
Factors
Success / Failure
Factors
Theoretical
Frameworks ModelsModels
Enabling
Environment
Operationalisation
Relations/
Network
ServiceDelivery

11. Operationalisation
Themes:
• Business Models
• Service Models
• Industry Perspectives
• Quality Infrastructure
• Equivalence of Standards
• Mutual Recognition
Issues:
• Business Models
• Service Models
• Capacity Building
• Absorptive Capacity
• Technical Trade Barriers
• Standards
• Certification
• Sanitary and Phytosantiary (SPS)
• Harmonisation
• Intellectual Property
• Supporting Infrastructures
• Network Governance

12. Good
Practices
Good
Practices
Success / Failure
Factors
Success / Failure
Factors
FrameworksFrameworks ModelsModels
Enabling
Environment
Operationalisation
Relations/
Network
ServiceDelivery

13. Service Delivery
Themes:
• Implementation Perspectives
• User-Centric Perspectives
• Innovation
• Service Modeling
Issues:
• Service Modeling
• Services
• Value Measurement & Evaluation

14. Good
Practices
Good
Practices
Success / Failure
Factors
Success / Failure
Factors
FrameworksFrameworks ModelsModels
Enabling
Environment
Operationalisation
Relations/
Network
Service Delivery

15. Role of BSOs

16. Service Orientation of BSOs
• BSOs have their own vital interest to build up
capacity for service orientation towards their
members.
• Their organic function ranges from awareness
raising, advocacy, information and service provision to
being the most important multiplier of knowledge and
information to the private sector.
• Capacity building initiatives at meso level will
therefore have a more sustainable impact,
strengthening the key role and mandate of BSOs as
mediators and multipliers for the private sector.

17. Necessary Linch Pin
Value Creation and Facilitation Services
Development
• Promote Value Network Linkages
(Networking/Strategic Alliances)
• Support the Increase in Organisational Service
Orientation and provision of Support Services
• Promote identification of Market Opportunities
and Investment Opportunities
• Facilitate growth of Market Presence through the
Value Chain & Value Networks

19. 1. Agro Food Industry Quality Infrastructure
Requirements and Food Safety across the
Value Chain
2. Agro Food Industry - EU Market Consumer
Trends & Buyer Purchasing Considerations
For Imports Into The EU (EU Industry
Perspective)
3. Agro Food Industry Value Chain
Management for Service Orientation
4. Strategic Service Modelling and Planning
5. Information Communication Management –
Tools to Support the Development of
Information Services to Support Trade
• COM4DEV
• EU Export Help Desk
6. Grant Proposal Writing
1. Agro Food Industry Quality Infrastructure
Requirements and Food Safety across the
Value Chain
2. Agro Food Industry - EU Market Consumer
Trends & Buyer Purchasing Considerations
For Imports Into The EU (EU Industry
Perspective)
3. Agro Food Industry Value Chain
Management for Service Orientation
4. Strategic Service Modelling and Planning
5. Information Communication Management –
Tools to Support the Development of
Information Services to Support Trade
• COM4DEV
• EU Export Help Desk
6. Grant Proposal Writing
Enabling Environment
Operationalisation
Relations/
Network
Service Delivery

20. Request for Technical Assistance
Project ProposalsRegion/Composition Project Details Organisation
Region/Composition Project Details Organisation
OECS Regional
(Multistakeholder)
• Agro-Tourism Linkages –
(Quality Infrastructure)
• OECS Secretariat (Economic
Unit and Export Unit)
CARIBBEAN REGIONAL
(Multistakeholder)
• Market Requirements and
Access through Mutual
Recognition Agreements,
Product Development
• Caribbean Farmers Network
(CaFAN)/Office of Trade
Negotiations (OTN) (CARICOM)
CARIBBEAN REGIONAL
(Multistakeholder)
• Culinary Tourism • Caribbean Tourism Organisation
(CTO), IICA, CHTA
JAMAICA - BSO • Support for the Establishment of
a Tissue Culture Lab for
Potatoes
• Christiana Potato Growers
JAMAICA - BSO • Support in Agro-Processing
Product Development
• Jamaica Export Association
(JEA)

21. Producer-Tourist Linkages:
“Fostering Growth and Competitiveness through better Access to Agro-Tourism
Trade Opportunities
COMPONENT 1:
AGRO-TOURISM MARKET
DEMAND & OPPORTUNITY
ANALYSIS
Activity 1: Visitor Discovery, and Product Validation
Activity 1.1 “Agro –Tourism Flavour of the OECS”, Road Shows
Activity 2: Horticulture & Value Added Market Demand Value Chain Study for the
Hospitality and Tourism Industry (Quantitative & Qualitative)
COMPONENT 2:
PROMOTING A JOINT STRATEGY
FOR AGRO-TOURISM TRADE
FACILITATION
Activity 3: Agro-Tourism Linkage Opportunities within the OECS and neighboring countries
Activity 4: Development of a Regional Strategy - Synthesis of Country level strategy,
comparative analysis and recommendations
Activity 5: Development and Implementation of a Virtual Agro-Tourism Trade Matching
Marketplace to support the National and Regional Networks
Activity 6: Hosting of a Regional Agro-Tourism Conference & Trade Exhibition
COMPONENT 3:
ENHANCED COORDINATION FOR
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
OECS QUALITY SEAL
Activity 7: Study of International and National Standards for High Value Commodities
Activities 8: Organisation of Stakeholder Consultations - OECS Seal Technical Working
Group (TWG) Stakeholder Consultations
Activity 9: Market Demand Studies for Certification Services & Financial Sustainability
Benchmarking Study for the OECS Seal
COMPONENT 4:
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Activity 10: Administrative and logistic support to key experts during the whole duration
of the project
Activity 11: Financial management
Activity 12: Management of the operational budget and cash flow projections
Activity 13: Quality supervision
Activity 14: Liaise and report to the Donor

24. Lessons Learnt
More Time
Needed for
Knowledge
Transfer
Underestimation
of Human
Resource
Requirements
Project
Complentarities
& Linkages

25. Trade and Market Access Initiatives
and Best Practices
- OECS Experience in Export Development
- CaFAN Experience
Q&A
- Jamaican Experience - JEA/JAMPRO
- CARICOM Perspective (OTN) - Private Sector
Q&A

26. Enabling
Environment
Operationalisation
Relations/
Network
Service
Delivery
Frameworks
Models
Good
Practices
Success /
Failure Factors
Macro e-Governance
Implementation Cycle

27. Market Led Value Chain
Development
Quality Infrastructure
* Clustering
* Value Networking &
Strategic Alliances
* Business Modelling
* Social Enterprise Modelling
for BSOs - Sustainability Issue
* Business Skills Upgrading
* Business Processes
* Standards
* Harmonisation of Standards
* Equivalence & MRAs
* Certification Programs
Innovative Strategies Towards EPA
Realisation - Frameworks