“Caribbean Governments need to proceed cautiously before signing any Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU)”. That strong suggestion from participants at a recent workshop themed the New Trading Environment in the Caribbean: a Farmers Perspective, organized by the Caribbean Farmers Network (CaFAN), and sponsored by the Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Co-operation (CTA). Economic Partnership Agreements, or EPAs, replace a special export regime for cane sugar and other economically critical goods from the 79-member African, Caribbean and Pacfic (ACP) group of states in place since the mid-1970s. The ACP has been operating under a special seven-year waiver from World Trade Organisation rules, but was scheduled to expires at the end of 2007. Countries that fail to complete new EPAs in time expected to face higher tariffs on goods exported to the EU. One of the main stumbling blocks in all the EPA talks has been the extent to which the developing nations must open up their economies to tariff-free goods from the EU. The workshop participants, drawn from 11 Caribbean countries and attending the meeting held in St. Lucia earlier this year, insisted that it would be reckless to sign a “bad deal” just to meet a deadline, and maintained that fundamental Caribbean interests be secured in the negotiations. By the close of 2007 it appeared their call had reached the ears of CARICOM. Caribbean leaders concerned about the increasing cost of living in the region requested an extended deadline of the signing of the EPA. The EU unsurprisingly resisted. However, in November 2007 Peter Mandelson, the European Union's top trade official, went before the European Parliament to concede that some of the six regions now in negotiations were unlikely to meet the Dec. 31 deadline. Observers questioned why CARICOM waited virtually until the eleventh hour to address lingering issues regarding the agreements, after it seemed ready to complete various elements including market access and services ahead of the African and Pacific countries. St. Vincent and the Grenadine’s Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves said that in the best interest of the Caribbean people it was better for the region to take time to reach an agreement, rather than merely meeting the deadline. Reports suggested that by December some member states and regions in Africa and the Pacific had gone along with EU proposals to complete the market access component of the EPAs, while the CARIFORUM group (made up of CARICOM and the Dominican Republic) remained locked in disagreements. By this time the ACP had reportedly splintered. The situation seemed further complicated on announcement that the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Hubert Ingraham was assuming chairmanship of CARICOM in January 2008, even though the Bahamas has chosen not to be part of the CSME process. A special summit was set up for mid-December to address the outstanding issues. According to Chief Coordinator of CaFAN Mr. Jethro Greene, the CaFAN Trade Environment workshop also called for greater attention to be paid to increasing access for both the domestic and regional markets and the fostering of linkages between agriculture and tourism in a framework of clear, regional policy. Participants also called on regional governments to develop a strong and integrated response mechanism to the threat from pests, disease and natural disasters at both the national and regional levels. They also pointed out the difficulties in agreeing on the scale and pace of tariff liberalization, the need for clear developmental provisions, especially in relation to agriculture and the rural sector and the importance of placing emphasis on food security and rural development. The workshop also lamented the lack of information on the EPA negotiations and called on Caribbean Governments to make public the draft text on the EPA. Senator Norman Grant, Chairman of CAFAN and President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society noted that intra-regional trade is still struggling to get to double digits while the other trading blocks flood Caribbean markets with their goods. He recommended that instead of importing our way out of problem the region must produce its way out of the challenges.