WT/TPR/M/299  
30 July 2014  
(14-4399)  Page: 1/35  
Trade Policy Review Body 
17 and 19 June 2014   
 
  TRADE POLICY REVIEW 
OECS-WTO  MEMBERS  
MINUTES OF THE MEETING 
Chairperson: H.E. Mrs Mariam MD Salleh 
CONTENTS 
 
1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAI RPERSON ....................................................... 2  
2  OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OECS-WTO MEMBERS ........... 4  
3  STATEMENT BY TH E DISCUSSANT .............................................................................. 10  
4  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS ........................................................................................ 13  
5  REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OECS-WTO MEMBERS AND 
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ............................................................................................... 29  
6  CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAI RPERSON ......................................................... 34  
 
 
Note: Advance written questions and additional questions by WTO Members, and the replies 
provided by OECS-WTO Members are reproduced in document WT/TPR/M/299/Add.1 and will be 
available online at http://www.wto.org/ english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp_rep_e.htm. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  1  INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
1.1.  The third Trade Policy Review of the six OECS -WTO Members, namely Antigua and Barbuda, 
Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was held on 17 and 19 June 2014. The Chairperson H.E. Mrs Mariam MD Salleh (Malaysia) welcomed the 
delegations from the different OECS-WTO Members: H.E. Mr Alva Baptiste, Minister for External 
Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation of St. Lucia; H.E. Dr Patrick Antoine, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organization; Mr Cuthbert Knights, 
Director of Trade, Permanent Secretary, Ministry  of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Consumer Affairs 
from the delegation of Saint Vincent and the Gren adines; Ms Joy-Marie King, from the delegation 
of Antigua and Barbuda; Mrs Brenda Magloire  Seaman, from the delegation of Dominica; 
Mr Cosbert Woods, from the delegation of Saint Kitts and Nevis; Mr Ricardo James, Chargé 
d'Affaires at the OECS Geneva Mission; the other Members of the delegations from the different 
capitals; colleagues from the mission in Geneva; and the discussant, H.E. Dr John Otachi Kakonge (Kenya). 
1.2.  The Chairperson recalled the purpose of the Tr ade Policy Reviews and the main elements of 
the procedures for the meeting. The reports by the OECS-WTO Members were contained in document WT/TPR/G/299 and that of the WTO Secretariat in WT/TPR/S/299. 
1.3.  Questions by the following delegations had been  submitted in writing at least two weeks in 
advance and had been transmitted to the delegation of the OECS-WTO Members: China; Dominican Republic; the European Union; Sing apore; and the United States. The following 
delegations submitted written questions after the two-week deadline: Colombia; Canada; Brazil; 
Thailand, Ecuador, and Trinidad and Tobago. 
1.4.  During the review period, economic growth in the OECS-WTO Members had been affected 
adversely by the global economic crisis. The main effects had been felt through the tourism and 
financial sectors. The OECS economies had since re bounded, although growth continued to be slow 
and reaching a more sustained path was a challenge. Their narrow economic base, susceptibility to natural disasters and high reliance on imports continued to make the OECS-WTO Members 
particularly vulnerable to exogenous shocks.  
1.5.  A main development since the last Review in  2007 had been the signing, in 2010, of the 
Treaty Establishing the OECS Economic Union, which allowed for the free movement of goods, 
people, capital and services, within the economic area. As noted in the reports, the full 
implementation of this Economic Union was a major challenge for the OECS-WTO Members, as it 
required considerable work to harmonize legislation, institutions and tariff schedules. In this respect, although based on the CARICOM CET, tariff levels and schedules continued to vary 
considerably across countries. 
1.6.  A second important event had been the sign ing and provisional implementation of the 
CARIFORUM-EU EPA, the first two-way preferenti al agreement for the OECS-WTO Members. The 
full implementation of the EPA would also require a number of major legislative and institutional 
changes. 
1.7.  With respect to trade policy measures, the Chairperson noted from the reports that all 
OECS-WTO Members continued to use import licensing for their trade with third parties. Although 
most licences were granted automatically, non-automatic licences were also still used, particularly 
for agricultural products. Most OECS-WTO Members also maintained an ad valorem  customs 
service charge, which was applied on all imports; this charge had been replaced by a broader tax 
only in Antigua and Barbuda. The use of this service charge, which some of the OECS officials 
claimed was part of the tariff, raised questions from Members during the previous review. Also, some States maintained legislation providing for export subsidies, while in others they had been 
replaced by broader incentives schemes. These laws  had been notified to the WTO; the challenge 
now was to engage in a process to review them to comply with the requirements of the SCM Agreement by end 2015. 
1.8.  The OECS-WTO Members had had some difficulties fully complying with WTO notification 
requirements during the period under review. This was due largely to their lack of human 
resources. In this respect, pooling up resources at the sub regional (OECS) or regional (CARICOM) WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  level would be beneficial, since it would ease somewhat the burden for individual countries. Also, 
identifying the areas in which increased technical assistance was needed would be most useful. 
1.9.  The Chairperson was sure that these topics and themes, and many more, would be touched 
upon in greater detail at the deliberations during the first and second day of the meeting.  
1.10.  The Chairperson also noted that a podcast would be made of this TPRB meeting. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  2  OPENING STATEMENT BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OECS-WTO MEMBERS 
(H.E. DR PATRICK ANTOINE) 
2.1.  Chairperson, Ambassador Mariam MD. Salleh, delegation of Malaysia; discussant, 
Ambassador Dr John O. Kakonge of the Republic of Kenya; other distinguished delegates; 
colleagues and the many other friends I see in attendance, thank you for coming to this third 
Trade Policy Review. I want to thank all of you for coming, it is important to us. 
Introduction 
2.2.  I have the honour of speaking with you this mo rning. Let me apologize for the absence of the 
respective Ministers of trade who are unable to be with us today. In their stead we have very senior Officials from capital and from Geneva, and I have been asked to deliver this consensus statement on behalf of our OECS Economic Union. 
2.3.  The Government of Grenada on behalf of the member States of the OECS Economic Union 
welcomes this third Trade Policy Review of the WTO. We have engaged substantively in consultations with the WTO staff and with our Members over the past year which has resulted in 
the fourteen reports being prepared which act as the basis for this review  over the following two 
days. 
The challenges of being small, open and vulnerable 
2.4.  The Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) consists of very small and highly 
open economies, consisting of total 2,506 square kilometres and total population of approximately 
500,000 persons, which are particularly vulnerable to exogenous shocks. Trade openness measured by conventional definitions exceeds 50% of GDP and if the international financial 
transactions are added, it goes to 70%. International trade is a fundamental source of the 
economic composition of these countries. The trade balance exhibits a level of imports which is six times the value of exports with a tendency towards deterioration in the level of imports since 2008 
(the ratio in 2007 was seven times). 
2.5.  A significant development since our last Trade Policy Review would be the creation of the 
OECS Economic Union, which was established in January 2011 after many years of negotiations. 
The OECS countries, in confronting the difficulties of the global market and having an unified 
central bank, decided to take the historic step  of driving from monetary integration to a 
full-fledged economic union by pulling sovereignty in some areas such as trade policy, maritime 
policy, civil aviation and commercial policy. We have now undertaken regional trade agreements 
with the European Union. The CARICOM-EU EPA represents a shift from the maintained position of 
non-reciprocity as the countries undertook reciprocal arrangement in goods, services and intellectual property among other areas with the EU as well as the Bahamas, Haiti and the 
Dominican Republic. The reciprocity in the context of this RTA is fully consistent with all of the 
obligations that we have assumed in this Organization. For the first time, there are signals that the OECS countries are highly open and are ready to engage relations on equal terms given our 
resource capabilities. That is what we have seen taken place with the Economic Partnership 
Agreement. The challenges remain in terms of moving quickly to conformity with the tariff schedules due to the administrative and human resource constraints that we face. But this has been an important step for small countries at particularly tumultuous times in the global economy. 
The impact of the global financial and economic crisis 
2.6.  The six years since the second Trade Policy Review in 2007 have been among the most 
volatile and tumultuous periods in the post-independence era for the OECS countries. Most of the 
countries became independent between 1962 and 1978. As highly open economies, the OECS 
endured the vicissitudes of a full blown financial and economic crisis with deleterious impact on our financial, goods and services sectors including our services exports. Our primary commodity and 
light manufactured exports have also responded submissively. We have evidenced a decline in the 
share of our world trade and have suffered marked increases in unemployment, contraction in GDP and overall productivity and competitiveness. We are challenged for the first time by the rapidly 
increasing number of unemployment among our youths and I link this discussion in its totality to 
the development and to the aid for trade agenda. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  2.7.  Our economies have also endured declining remi ttance flows and a decline in foreign direct 
investment, factors which have increased the burden on States to increase expenditures on social safety net programmes and poverty alleviation. 
2.8.  These are recurrent themes in our overall grow th and development strategy; and this affords 
trade an opportunity to truly become the handma iden of economic recovery and development. 
2.9.  Six years after the onset of the economic crisis and the last review, our economies have 
begun to evidence signs of rebound. However, the outlook still remains uncertain and the threats 
of economic reversal and downside risks remain strong.  
2.10.  The performance among the OECS over the period has not been uniform. GDP growth 
statistics indicate that the region contracted for two consecutive years in 2009 and 2010, with high disparities across the grouping. These disparities ranged from in excess of 15% in the case of 
Antigua and Barbuda to a contraction of approximat ely 2.5 to 2.7% in the case of St. Vincent and 
the Grenadines. 
2.11.  One OECS country suffered a contraction in services growth, while other OECS economies 
demonstrated tremendous slowdown led by touris m and construction and virtually no growth in 
other services owing to a large of domestic services capacity. 
2.12.  The following are features of the last decade: 
 every OECS country experienced a significant fall in the rate of growth during 2000-2010 
 compared with the previous two decades;  
 rapid declines in export competitiveness resulted in severely contracted foreign exchange 
 commodity earnings; and 
 real GDP contracted annually by 1.1% on average over the period 2008-2012, in sharp 
 contrast to an average expansion of 5.1%  for the five years period just prior. 
2.13.  In responding to the crisis, the OECS economies committed to an Eight Point Stabilization 
and Growth Programme. At the level of individual States, a myriad of fiscal measures and reforms 
have been instituted, including the introduction of VAT and debt restructuring, which have become staples of the stabilization programmes. At this time, virtually every single OECS country is 
instituting. We have one country about to sign a programme with the International Monetary Fund, 
another country exploring that option and a third engaged in it. The others are still assessing the 
options as we seek to achieve this economic recovery. 
2.14.  Economic recovery in the OECS following the crisis continues to be sluggish, and the 
forecast for return to pre-crisis growth levels now suggest 2016-2017. Notwithstanding, notable 
progress has been made on some aspects of ou r Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, 
low growth and a high debt and rising unemployment continue to threaten the region's 
developmental and social progress. The OECS has do ne a review of the priority actions, sectors 
and initiatives required to take us out of this and lead us to sustained growth.  
Macroeconomic response: national and re gional development strategies; and the 
economic union 
2.15.  In light of this, the OECS in its Growth and Development Strategy Document identifies a 
number of trade-related development goals and prio rities for the OECS Economic Union including 
the need to improve their supply-side capacities (focus on youth), including their trade-related 
infrastructure in the areas of transport, IC T, finance and private sector development and 
investment. 
2.16.  The national development strategies and programmes of the OECS member States on an 
individual basis all reflect the imperative that we have identified from the Growth and 
Development Strategy at the regional level so that there is in fact a very close link between the nation and the region. Whether it is "Growth and Social Protection" in Dominica or building the 
"New Economy" in Grenada, OECS member States are all pursuing goals and objectives centred on WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  growth, employment creation, poverty reduction, de bt sustainability and reduction in vulnerability 
to shocks. What we have done corresponds to achieving those objectives at home in terms of putting some of the infrastructures in place to take  advantage of the space that we wish to create 
for development.  
2.17.  Emphasis is placed on structural reforms for boosting private investment and productivity. 
These include: improving the effectiveness of public investment; improving the ease of doing business and the overall investment climate; increasing efficiency and reducing costs in the 
product, labour and financial markets; and pursuing deeper regional integration to help overcome 
size-related disadvantages. Important core areas that will receive attention in the short term 
include: the free circulation of goods, completion  of ongoing trade negotiations, services trade 
development, trade and business facilitation, competition law and intellectual property. It is 
important to understand that if we receive the support of this Organization and also based on our 
unilateral action, we would see the emergence of an exciting Economic Union which in the Caribbean will finally see the objective of free circ ulation of goods achieved. The completion of the 
ongoing trade negotiation in the context of the DDA  is an important element of that. It is also 
important for us that we increasingly engage in open regionalism, particularly with Central and South America. Building trade and business facilitation and also using that as the platform for what 
we call business-to-business relationships are important. The question of competition law and 
intellectual rights has begun to receive the attention from the Economic Union and its programme.  
Sectoral performance and strategies 2.18.  While the services related sectors continue to receive some attention, the limited domestic 
supply capability limit us from taking advantage of the sectors outside of those that I have 
mentioned (tourism and construction). The OECS countries are now predominantly service-based economies with services-related sectors contributing between 60-75% of GDP. Tourism and 
construction remain the leading drivers. To this end, the OECS has developed a regional Tourism 
Sector Strategy, the main thrust of which is the harmonization of border management systems and the reduction of cumbersome procedures that frustrate the ease of access to and travel 
through the OECS. The need to strategically position the construction sector and build its resilience 
in the face of the protracted global financial and economic crisis with more robust and integrated approaches to stimulating the sector has been reco gnized. There is also recognition of the need to 
diversify the broader services sector. Member St ates have therefore embarked on varying policy 
initiatives and strategies including establishment of national coalition of services industries. In the 
other services sector, the OECS does have tremendous scope in legal services, accounting services, business services, but our profile demonstr ates that very little trade has taken place in 
these areas. 
2.19.  Agriculture has declined although it has not been uniform across the countries. The dramatic 
decline in agriculture's contribution to less than 5% of GDP in the OECS since 2000 is well 
documented. This is largely due to the decline in  the production and export of sugar and bananas 
– traditional agricultural commodities – from the Windward Islands and St. Kitts and Nevis. The prime imperative for the sector remains diversification, improving productivity and reducing production costs and promoting a market-oriented agribusiness approach in order to alleviate 
poverty and increase food and nutrition security. We are essentially be going to realize and try to 
support moving up the value chain for a number of the things that we have done before and exported then in rough form. There are some exciti ng products that are emerging and by the time 
we engage in our next Trade Policy Review there will be some exciting news. Agriculture is the 
focus for the DDA and continues to be critical for us and one of the issue of the Millennium Development Goals is getting rid of hunger and bols tering the level of nutrition of our population. 
2.20.  The manufacturing sector continues to be a source of employment and an important source 
of demand for and supply of products and services from other industries. There is a renewed focus on ICT and on technology. We start to see firms using old technology merging through a system of 
acquisitions and new entrance into a number of new areas that will certainly give us some growth 
on the manufacturing sector side. Our interest is not only on agriculture and on services, our 
interest also extends to the NAMA topics where we  have not try to develop a very coordinate and 
well supported agenda about growing these sectors. Th is is going to be a focus that will emerge in 
the coming years largely through a focus on micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises. Member 
States interventions have been focused on compet itiveness, productivity and export development. 
At the regional level, the top priority for manufacturing is to approve and implement a WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  comprehensive manufacturing policy, strategy, and action plan for the OECS pursued in concert 
with a regional export strategy geared towards penetrating target markets in the Caribbean, North and South America, and Europe. 
Trade formulation and implementation 
2.21.  The OECS has remained committed to pursuing economic policy aimed at liberalizing trade, 
market penetration, building more nimble economic structures and more efficient business facilitation. Implementation of trade policy is an  area where OECS member States have continued 
to tackle collaboratively with the aim of achieving maximum results in a more efficient manner 
including within the wider Caribbean Community (CARICOM) regional integration arrangement. 
Through the administrative and technical work of the OECS and CARICOM Secretariats, OECS 
member States have utilized regional integration as the underpinning of national and regional 
trade policy. Everything said about the Economic Union needs to be taken in the context of the 
OECS contributing to the CARICOM integration process. In fact, the benefits of the OECS process is 
that it allows us to go faster and further leaving room for CARICOM colleagues that are not yet 
ready to join this demarche in areas where now we can travel for instance using our driver's 
licence and increasing functional cooperation activities that are facilitated by the Economic Union. There is no contradiction between CARICOM and the OECS Economic Union. In fact, one is very 
consistent with the other and the OECS Economic Union is a natural progression which allows us to 
achieve some objectives at a quicker pace. 
2.22.  The region continues however to be challenged by financial and human capacity constraints 
as reflected in the small size of national ministries, in the OECS Trade Policy units and in trade 
policy institutions and frameworks that continue to require further strengthening, particularly in 
the area of policy coordination and develo pment at the national and regional level. 
OECS perspectives on the MTS, WTO and the DDA negotiations 
2.23.  The OECS-WTO Members remain committed to a fair, equitable, rules-based transparent 
and inclusive multilateral trading system that  meets the needs of all its members and, in 
particular, developing countries, especially SVEs and LDCs. The OECS-WTO Member States 
maintain the position that trade negotiations be tween developed and developing countries must be 
premised in asymmetry and special and differential treatment for the latter of the two parties. The 
OECS member States remain committed to the successful conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda negotiations in accordance with the mandates and Members’ decision to place 
development at the core of the outcomes. For th is reason, the OECS remains concerned at the 
ongoing impasse in the DDA. The limited outcomes at Bali provided a welcome impetus to the negotiations.  
2.24.  The OECS-WTO Members have participated meaningfully in the DDA negotiations and have 
contributed to the leadership shown by the ACP and the wider G90 in the negotiations on trade 
facilitation. The conclusion of the Trade Facilitation Agreement requires that developed countries 
and developing countries with the capacity to do  so provide the needed and additional financial 
and technical resources for effective implementation by developing countries such as LDCs and SVEs. 
2.25.  It is also imperative that the Post Bali work programme be developed to conclude the 
outstanding areas under the DDA as mandated by Ministers. For the OECS it is important that we 
build on progress already made and that the flexibilities negotiated for SVEs are entrenched. 
2.26.  One of the continuing challenges in the trade policy of Antigua and Barbuda and to all 
members of the OECS is the current failure to reach a satisfactory resolution to the case on 
internet gaming with the United States. 
2.27.  This case is a decade old, and it pits the world’s largest economy against one of the world’s 
smallest and most vulnerable. Despite having won a favourable decision of the Dispute Settlement 
Board, Antigua and Barbuda is yet to receive a re asonable offer from the USTR that could bring 
this matter to a successful conclusion. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  2.28.  Antigua and Barbuda and the OECS believe that this case presents several systemic 
challenges to the dispute-settlement mechanism of  the WTO, and has the potential to undermine 
the credibility of the Organization. For us, when it was bananas, we were forced to comply even as third Parties and were impacted by the decision of the Dispute Settlement in that case. But 
concerning gaming we seem to be losing that battle too. In a sense, and we have to be sensitive 
to that, if you lose you lose, and if you win you still lose. We are all of the view that there ought to be more flexibility in possible options for arriving at a resolution of a case such as this.  
2.29.  Antigua and Barbuda, the OECS and the entire CARICOM are willing to put forward its ideas 
on these matters in the appropriate WTO forum, and call on like-minded States to assist in reforming the Dispute Settlement system of the WTO so that it can better meet the needs and 
circumstances of small countries like ours. 
2.30.  The OECS-WTO Members continue to be challe nged with fulfilling its transparency and 
notification obligations to which they remain fully committed. However, it must be recognized that small countries like the OECS face capacity constr aints and continue to need and seek technical 
assistance to aid in the notification process. 
2.31.  The OECS-WTO Member States are also taking steps to implement necessary legislation in 
the areas of competition, antidumping and subsidies. We are in the process of establishing an 
OECS Competition Authority. The Authority and the requisite legislation are expected to be 
implemented by 2015. 
Aid for Trade 2.32.  All OECS-WTO Members remain fully committed to the Aid for Trade initiative in all of its 
dispensation. The designation of OECS member States as high middle income developing countries 
however can make access to many aid for trade opportunities increasingly challenging even though the region remains vulnerable and faces structural economic challenges not captured by 
per capital economic indicators. This is particularly true if the downside risks or natural disasters, 
the ballooning unemployment, the pockets of extrem ely poor infrastructure and the segments of 
the population, including youth, are taken into account. The measures do not capture a lot of 
these circumstances.  
2.33.  The CARICOM Regional Aid for Trade Strategy developed in 2013 identified a number of 
projects with a sub-regional focus. They in clude projects to: (1) upgrade key economic 
infrastructure, (2) enhance competitiveness of the private sector and facilitate trade expansion 
and diversification, and (3) deepen regional inte gration and maximise gains from external trade 
agreements. 
2.34.  The premise of this strategy is geared toward developing a modernized trade policy 
framework with a broad focus on sectoral issues and cross cutting measures such as information 
technology and renewable energy initiatives. These are the initiatives for wish we would like to have the support of the Organization notwithstanding recent rumouring that as high-middle 
income country the full support may not be available to us. This is an area where we hope to have 
discussions at the highest level. We are fully supportive of this agenda and we want to make sure that the sensitivity to these specificities that exist are taken into account for the OECS countries that are SVEs and are also developing countries. 
Conclusion 
2.35.  The OECS external position has been greatly influenced by the increasing trade deficits, 
which relate to myriad factors (contestability of global markets, inability to move up the value 
chain among others). As small vulnerable economies, the OECS recognizes the importance of the 
multilateral trading system, which still holds out the option for first best solutions in the allocation of global trade benefits. However, the multilat eral trading system is being challenged by 
plurilateral and regional initiatives some of which run the risk of second and third best outcomes 
for countries such as ours which are incapable of participating in some of these negotiations. For these reasons the multilateral trading system rema ins an extremely high priority for the OECS. But 
we must focus on making the system work better for all its members particularly SVEs such as the 
OECS. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  2.36.  In order for the multilateral trading system to work better, I must reiterate some of the 
issues I raised earlier. We must ensure that we reform the Dispute Settlement Body such that compliance with judgements by developed and more powerful nations are not frustrated to the detriment of small economically le ss endowed Members of the house. 
2.37.  Secondly, we must ensure that the heavy investment made by the OECS countries and 
others in securing a deal on trade facilitation deli vers on the promise of bringing concrete financial 
and technical assistance support to allow them to realize the benefits inherent in the trade 
facilitation agenda. These are clearly outlined in the World Bank doing Business Report. 
2.38.  Thirdly, we must establish a credible work plan for the conclusion of the DDA as an injection 
of confidence to global markets which will redound to the benefits of the OECS by minimizing the 
downside risks of policy slippage and a return to recession. 
2.39.  Fourthly, the OECS countries are among the most open economies in the world. We do not 
institute technical barriers to trade. The OECS countries do not have sophisticated internal 
apparels that frustrate the genuine market access interests and benefits of Members in this 
Organization. We are prepared to work on this agenda because we understand that this 
Organization provides us with a greatest opportunity for integration, growth and openness. 
2.40.  Consequently, it is the view of the OECS that the multilateral trading system must focus on 
a more equitable framework for trade and greater sensitivity for the circumstances of SVEs.   
2.41.  Only four of our countries have been able to attend this Trade Policy Review. Even if we 
participate in this review, our office in Geneva is facing a real existential crisis as a result of financial limitations that threatens the maintenance of a presence here in Geneva. Human and 
financial resource limitations have also negatively affected our capacity to effectively engage in the 
multilateral trading system as reflected very clearly in the less than optimal desired participation in this review.  
2.42.  We offer our position to this Organization with the certain knowledge that the value which 
we add to this process will be somehow sustained. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  3  STATEMENT BY THE DISCUSSANT 
3.1.  I would like to begin by recognizing the presence  of Hon. Alva Baptise, Minister of external 
Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation of St. Lucia; and other senior Officials from member States of the OECS as well as Officials from the OECS Secretariat. Let me join you in welcoming 
the delegation from the OECS to Geneva and to the WTO for this important Trade Policy Review 
meeting.  
3.2.  I am pleased to participate as a discussant  at the third Trade Policy Review of the 
Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Madam Chair, your introductory remarks, and 
the insightful presentation by H.E. Dr Patrick Antoine, as well as the excellent Reports by the 
member Governments of the OECS and the WTO Secr etariat have provided us with a good basis 
for today’s discussions.  
3.3.  Members of the WTO attach a lot of importance  to the Trade Policy Review process since it 
contributes in achieving greater transparency in, and understanding of, the trade policies and practices of the Member countries. The review theref ore, does not only give us the opportunity to 
discuss and to understand Members' policies but also suggests corrective remedies where such 
policies are not friendly and supportive to economic and trade development. We also expect that the outcome of this review will contribute to th e realization of development goals being pursued by 
the member States of the OECS.  
3.4.  Since the last review, the OECS-WTO Members have made considerable efforts in improving 
their economic and trading environment despite the challenges they face as small island States. 
The OECS-WTO Members are small islands and highly vulnerable economies. According to the WTO 
Secretariat Report, the combined GDP of the OECS is about US$5.7 billion, a slight increase from a 
combined GDP of US$3.8 billion reported during their second Trade Policy Review. Their total population of approximately 600,000 is limited and sp read over the islands that are geographically 
dispersed across wide ocean areas. 
3.5.  The WTO Secretariat Report also reveals that the OECS have a similar economic structure 
that is heavily dependent on services sector particularly tourism, as the main contributor to both 
GDP and employment. The narrow economic base, su sceptibility to natural disasters and a high 
reliance on imports make the OECS vulnerable particularly to external shocks. For instance, the last global economic crisis affected all the islands. The GDP of the OECS contracted by nearly 10% between 2009 and 2010 before registering a slight  recovery in 2011. The contraction of the GDP 
was mainly due to the fact that the economies of  the OECS are largely dependent on the tourism 
sector. The global financial crisis depressed demand in key markets and as such, periods of high tourist arrivals was characterized by significantly low levels of bookings and occupancy rates. The 
decline in the tourism industry also affected other closely linked sectors such as agriculture, 
manufacturing and entertainment, with a direct nega tive impact on employment. In this regard, it 
would be important therefore to hear the steps that the OECS are undertaking to diversify their 
economies and reduce their reliance on the tourism sector. 
3.6.  Financial sector stability is necessary to achieve growth and macroeconomic stability. We 
note from the WTO Secretariat Report that during the last global financial crisis two major indigenous banks in Antigua and Barbuda collapsed and strongly affected growth of the GDP. It 
would therefore be interesting to know the steps th at the OECS have taken to strengthen financial 
sector regulation at the national and regional levels. 
3.7.  A common monetary and exchange rate policy is pursued under the framework of the Eastern 
Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) and executed by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). It 
seems that the main objective of ECCB continues to be currency management within the union in order to maintain the stability of the exchange rate. Essentially, as the exchange rate is fixed, 
domestic prices are largely driven by external prices and not domestic market conditions. The rate 
of inflation is therefore determined by external  prices. According to the WTO Secretariat Report, 
inflation was fuelled by higher food prices from 2010 and declined in 2013 mainly due to a fall in clothing and foot wear, and fuel prices. However, on average the trend of inflation rate in the 
OECS has been relatively low. Generally, the ECCB policies have contributed to monetary stability, 
although the interests on lending remain relatively high. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  3.8.  The high interest rates have impacted negatively on access to finance by the private sector. 
Access to finance is important in building productive capacity of the private sector and has a strong influence on the economic growth. The OECS should therefore take measures to address high interest rates and high collateral requirements demanded by financial institutions in order to 
ease access to credit particularly by the private sector. 
3.9.  Fiscal policy is conducted independently by each country and it presents a major challenge to 
all the OECS countries. All Governments have been  running deficits since 2009, ranging from 1% 
of GDP in St. Kitts and Nevis to 11% of GDP in An tigua and Barbuda. The fiscal situation has been 
exacerbated by the fall in revenue collections, a high import bill and the heavy burden of debt. I 
would like to commend the OECS countries for initiating fiscal reforms in response to the deteriorating deficits. Some of the reforms includ e introduction of VAT, increased excise tax base 
and rationalization of fuel prices.  
3.10.  It is noted from the WTO Secretariat Report that the implementation of these fiscal reforms 
has already started bearing fruit with a reduction of the overall fiscal deficits of the OECS countries 
from US$245 million in 2009 to US$135 million in 2012. I encourage the OECS to continue with 
the implementation and consolidation of these refo rms. I also note that the OECS have adopted a 
debt restructuring strategy in addressing their fiscal deficits. This strategy involves, inter alia : debt 
relief through write-offs, lengthening of maturity, debt swabs, and lower interest rates. In this 
connection, the international community and financial institutions involved should fully support the OECS in their efforts to reduce the debt burden in order to improve fiscal deficits. 
3.11.  Regional integration has been the cornerstone of the trade policy regime of the OECS as 
well as the springboard in their participation in the multilateral trading system. During the period 
under review, the OECS deepened their regional in tegration process by establishing an Economic 
Union which entered into force in January 2011. The regional integration process among the OECS 
has facilitated in the reduction and elimination of barriers to trade and contributed to capacity 
building through pooling of resources. 
3.12.  The common trade policy pursued by the OECS has facilitated their active participation in 
the WTO multilateral process with a harmonized position. For instance, the OECS members have 
been at the fore front in calling for adequate flexibilities in the WTO rules to address their development needs as small and vulnerable economies. 
3.13.  The implementation of the WTO commitments pr esents some challenges to the OECS-WTO 
Members. In a number of areas new or amendments to the existing laws/regulations are required 
in order to comply with the WTO Agreements. Although the OECS made some efforts to amend some legislation during the period under review, a  l o t  o f  w o r k  i s  s t i l l  n e e d e d  i n  t h e  a r e a  o f  
implementation. In some cases, there are gaps between policies and their implementation in 
practice. For instance, according to WTO Secretariat Report, despite new custom’s legislation being passed in Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica, implementation has not taken off. Resource 
constraints seem to be one of the main causes of this situation. The OECS therefore needs 
technical assistance and support for capacity building to fully implement WTO commitments and benefit from the multilateral rules.  
3.14.  At the regional level, there is need to harm onize trade related laws and arrangements to 
facilitate business opportunities across the OECS. I am sure that Members are interested to know 
the progress and future steps in this respect. It w ill also be interesting to know if there are plans 
to adopt regional approach as one way of addressing institutional capacity constraints existing at 
the individual country level particularly in areas such as standards, intellectual property rights and 
competition policy.  
3.15.  Aid for trade can play an important role in addressing the many challenges that the 
OECS-WTO Members face as small and vulnerable economies. It will be of interest to know the 
specific areas of priority where aid for trade co uld be enhanced in order to respond to these 
challenges. 
3.16.  I would like to conclude by pointing out that  because of the size and extreme openness of 
the OECS economies, their economic growth may be derived from being internally competitive and 
this would require much more efficient use of the resources, targeted technical assistance and WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  capacity building programmes at the national le vel and gaining of economies of scale through 
enhanced regional cooperation and making gr eater use of the single economic space. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  4  STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS 
CHINA 4.1.  China notes that, like other small and vulnerable economies, OECS-WTO Members are heavily 
trade dependant and are prone to external sh ocks. Since its second TPR in 2007, OECS-WTO 
Members have encountered global financial crisis tied with natural disasters, which stagnated their 
economy. OECS-WTO Members are confronted with hard tasks in revitalizing their economy and improving people’s livelihood. 
4.2.  However, there are some policy features we would like to commend. Firstly, OECS-WTO 
Members’ investment regime is generally open , and during the period under review, some 
Members repealed explicit export subsidies and local content requirement by legislative reform; Secondly, the full implementation of the Revised Treaty of Basseterre Establishing the OECS 
Economic Union signed in June 2010 will promote free trade of goods and services as well as free 
flow of capitals and people. Thirdly, according to the Secretariat’s Report, continued efforts and significant progress has been made in trade facilitation and on IPR protection. 
4.3.  Having said that, we have acknowledged that there is still work to be done for OECS-WTO 
Members in conforming their legislative system wi th the WTO agreements and in implementing the 
WTO regulations. In addition, we encourage them to further liberalize their trade sectors, so as to 
help diversify their economic structure and achieve sustainable development.  
4.4.  On the multilateral aspect, we commend the OECS-WTO Members for their commitment on 
the multilateral trading system and the full conclusion of the Doha Round. OECS-WTO Members have been an indispensable part of the DDA ne gotiations, and advocated for strengthening of 
technical assistance to help them fulfil WTO commitments, including Bali Harvest, and conduct 
domestic economic reform. China is willing to c ooperate with the OECS-WTO Members to push for 
the formulation on a Post-Bali work programme. 
DOMINICAN
 REPUBLIC 
4.5.  The Dominican Republic shares close ties of friendship with the OECS Members as 
an ACP country, a member of the group of small, vulnerable economies, and a party to 
the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement. 
4.6.  According to the Secretariat Report, the OECS Members under review are small economies, 
exposed to natural disasters, and highly reliant on imports, which makes them very vulnerable to external shocks. The international economic and financial crisis has hit them hard. The real GDP 
of the OECS contracted by nearly 10% between 2009 and 2010, recovered slightly in 2011, 
contracted again in 2012, and recovered slightly once more in 2013, with a growth rate of 1.23%. This situation caused the economies of these countries to stagnate during the review period. 
The contraction in GDP was due mainly to a decline in tourist arrivals from North America 
and Europe, lower per capita expenditure, and the financial sector crisis in the region, which led to the collapse of several major banks. 
4.7.  Notably, the economies of the OECS-WTO Members are highly dependent on tourism 
services, with the tourism sector's contribu tion to GDP ranging from 24.2% in Grenada 
to nearly 75% in Antigua and Barbuda. To a lesser extent, and varying degrees, the financial services sector contributes significantly to GDP and employment, as does the construction 
industry. Trade also plays a key role in these co untries, representing approximately 100% of their 
aggregate GDP; they are net importers of goods and net exporters of services. 
4.8.  We share the opinion expressed in the Secretariat Report that OECS-WTO Members could 
resolve several of their outstanding trade policy issues by implementing the necessary reforms 
to their domestic legislation in order to apply the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, signed in October 2008. Furthermore, we urge them to try to face the remaining 
challenges with respect to achieving the OECS Economic Union. 
4.9.  We welcome the efforts made by the OECS-W TO Members, which have a fairly open 
investment regime under which foreign investment receives national treatment. We would also like WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  to highlight that during the period under review, Antigua and Barbuda, Granada, and St. Lucia 
repealed their Fiscal Incentives Acts and replaced  them with broader incentive legislation which 
does not provide explicit export subsidies or impose local-content requirements. In the period under review, OECS-WTO Members also introduced measures to facilitate trade. 
4.10.  We would also like to congratulate the OECS countries for reducing their fiscal policy's 
dependence on trade taxes by introducing VAT as  a means of revenue generation. We encourage 
them to continue on this path. We also welcome the significant advances made in relation 
to legislation on intellectual property rights. 
4.11.  Having put various questions to the OECS countries, we thank them for the replies they 
have supplied today, which we will examine carefully. Lastly, we would like to urge the OECS-WTO Members to continue making the necessary reforms to achieve full integration 
in the multilateral trading system, and we wish them every success in their third Trade Policy 
Review and for the future. 
EUROPEAN
 UNION 
4.12.  Since the last TPR of 2007, these small and vulnerable economies have suffered from the 
impact of the financial crisis, combined in many of them with natural disasters, which led to a recession in the years 2008-2010. In many of th ese small economies, tourism plays an important 
role (varying from 24% in the case of Grenada to 75% for Antigua and Barbuda) and the recession 
led to a sharp reduction of revenues from this sector.  
4.13.  Furthermore, the OECS-WTO Members were affected by financial sector problems in the 
region, including the collapse of the CL Financial Group (Trinidad and Tobago), which had a 
contagion effect on the OECS through its subsidia ries. Antigua and Barbuda's financial sector was 
particularly hit by the collapse of two local banks and a large offshore banking institution. 
4.14.  However, the countries can be commended for th eir continued efforts to further integrate in 
order to gain economies of scale that would contribute to reducing some of their vulnerabilities. 
The OECS is actually the most integrated  sub-set of countries in the region.  
4.15.  The EU, as a major supporter and donor of the Caribbean integration process, sees the 
OECS as a forerunner of regional integration. The EU is an important trade partner for the six 
countries, although OECS trade with the EU has declined since 2008 mainly as a consequence of the financial and economic crisis  
4.16.  The EU has concluded an Economic Partners hip Agreement with the CARIFORUM group of 
15 countries. The CARIFORUM-EU EPA allows for a flexible and gradual implementation that takes 
due account of the special needs of the less developed members.  
4.17.  The first review of the implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA will take place later this 
year and will enable Parties to take stock and hopefully agree measures which would make the 
EPA even more effective. The WTO Secretariat has already noted the positive impact of the EPA in terms of adjustment of the policies and legislations of the members in order to comply with WTO 
commitments and notifications in particular.  
4.18.  Under the 10th and 11th European Develo pment Fund, major programmes have in 
particular supported the economic integration in the region, the implementation of the EPA, and 
the OECS Economic Union. During the period of review, €12.6 million were committed to the OECS 
Secretariat for economic integration and trade programmes.  
4.19.  This TPR is a timely exercise for providing useful insight to the trade policies and practices of 
these six countries.  
4.20.  The EU in its advanced written questions has raised issues relating to the business climate, 
in particular the investment conditions related to nationality and on the perspectives regarding the ending of the export subsidies schemes in so me of the six countries, and we look forward 
discussing these and other issues. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  SINGAPORE 
4.21.  Singapore enjoys cordial and warm ties with the OECS-WTO Members namely Antigua and 
Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Although separated by a vast distance, we share the common challenges of being small island 
States that are extremely dependent on internatio nal trade and vulnerable to external shocks. We 
enjoy a fair amount of bilateral trade, which amounted to S$578 million in 2013. Among the OECS member States, Singapore’s largest trading partners are Antigua and Barbuda and St. Vincent and 
the Grenadines. We hope that the bilateral trade will improve as the OECS member States become 
even more integrated into the global trading system.  
4.22.  Since the last Trade Policy Review of the OECS-WTO Members in 2007, the global financial 
crisis and series of natural disasters in the OECS  region have posed formidable challenges to the 
OECS members. Recovery remains fragile and weak with growth rates not forecast to return to 
pre-crisis levels before 2016-17. Nevertheless, despite these challenges, the OECS-WTO Members have displayed resilience and shown their commit ments to the multilateral trading system. They 
have continued to pursue trade liberalization and maintained generally open, non-restrictive 
foreign investment regimes while pursuing closer regional integration through the OECS Economic Union and CARICOM Single Market. Indeed, we would like to commend the OECS-WTO Members 
on their highly progressive attitude and strong support in the negotiations for the WTO Trade 
Facilitation Agreement which was concluded at the 9th Ministerial Conference in Bali, and thereafter during the Trade Facilitation Preparatory Committee discussions which included the legal review of the Agreement. We appreciate the cons tructive engagement, and are confident that the 
OECS-WTO Members will work towards the successf ul implementation of the Trade Facilitation 
Agreement with a high level of commitment. 
UNITED
 STATES 
4.23.  At the 2007 Trade Policy Review, we noted the strong commercial relationship that we share 
with East Caribbean States, based on geographical proximity and historic ties as well as personal and family ties that join us.  
4.24.  We are particularly pleased that the OECS-WTO Members together with the other members 
of the Caribbean Community concluded a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the 
United States in May of 2013. This agreement repr esents our mutual intent to expand trade and 
investment working through a Trade and Investme nt Council established by the agreement. The 
Trade and Investment Framework Agreement replaces a prior trade agreement and reflects 
developments in the relationship between trade and investment with environmental standards, 
worker rights, the transparency of laws and regu lation, innovation and technology, and bribery and 
corruption. The trade preferences available under the Caribbean Basin Initiative, which have been 
in place since 1984, are also central to our trading relationship with Caribbean States. On the request of certain East Caribbean States and other members of CARICOM, we have initiated a 
review to consider their access to additional preferences available under that programme. 
4.25.  Exports of goods from OECS countries to the United States have increased during the past 
several years. The United States is also the primary source for tourists for most of these countries. Total two-way trade in 2013 was over US$1.3 billion. 
4.26.  The OECS-WTO Members have made impressive strides in their efforts to integrate 
regionally and globally since the 2007 TPR. Th ese achievements include the trade and economic 
commitments reflected in the Revised Treaty of Basseterre, the creation of a Competition 
Commission under CARICOM and a Competition Treaty at the OECS level, as well as participation 
in the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement. The OECS-WTO Members have also made advances to comply with WTO Agreements, such as the TRIPS Agreement and export subsidy 
commitments. We commend all of these accomplishments. 
4.27.  While we applaud and recognize these regional achievements, we notice that many of the 
issues that this Body identified in 2001 and again in 2007 with respect to participation in the WTO system have not been fully addressed. For example, the Secretariat notes several areas where 
legal or regulatory amendments are needed to comply with WTO provisions in most of your 
countries, such as in subsidies and countervailing laws. Import licensing is also still prevalent and WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  the Secretariat reports that there have been no changes to import licensing regimes since the last 
review. Unfortunately, the administration of these licenses can be trade restrictive, and we hope 
that the OECS countries will review their regimes to ensure that trade flows unimpeded in light of 
the Import Licensing Procedures Agreement. No tifications consistent with WTO obligations 
continue to lag, including SPS and import licensing notifications. In some cases, applied tariff rates 
exceed bound rates. As was the case in 2007, none of the OECS-WTO Members is a party to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement and none have functioning competition legislation in 
place. 
4.28.  We welcome the news that some countries have taken steps to comply with their 2007 
commitment to eliminate export subsidies no later than 2015. We look forward to hearing what actions are being taken by each of the OECS members to inform investors that currently benefit 
from the export subsidy schemes that the programmes will be eliminated by 2015. 
4.29.  The new EPA agreement with the European Un ion, the CARICOM agreement on a Common 
External Tariff and the new commitments, among other things, to liberalize the flow of goods, 
services and investment under the Revised Treaty of Basseterre all hold great promise to increase 
trade within the region and with third parties. Th ese agreements serve a critical need to pool and 
maximize resources and foster regional integration and help contribute to greater resiliency to 
external shocks. However, we note that the powe r of these agreements to cut costs and diversify 
trade is undercut by complex, if not contradictory, webs of national policies, regional undertakings, and exceptions. We also understand that the im plementation of the commitments has fallen 
behind schedule. OECS countries also continue to  apply an array of charges and fees on imports 
beyond tariffs. All of these practices undercut the potential gains in efficiency and reduced 
transaction costs that are the core objective of the agreements, besides increasing costs for citizens and businesses. 
4.30.  We look forward to continued work with WTO Members of the Organisation of the Eastern 
Caribbean States, both bilaterally and within the WT O. We especially hope to work closely with the 
OECS members in implementing the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, recognizing the 
considerable benefits that will accrue  to countries like the OECS members. 
COLOMBIA 4.31.  In his address on OECS Day in June 2013, the Hon. Baldwin Spencer, the then 
Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, made th e following statement, which neatly summarizes 
the experience of the OECS Members during the period under review: 
4.32.  "Our daily experience of the debilitating effects of the worst global economic and financial 
crisis since the 1929 Great Depression […] has caused us to focus even more on deepening 
the integration of our Eastern Caribbean space. We remain convinced about the correctness of our 
decision to deepen OECS integration in the face of the global crisis, and to work toward achieving the OECS Economic Union." 
4.33.  Indeed, the Secretariat Report clearly shows the difficulties that the global financial crisis 
presented for these six economies during the review period. The crisis considerably damaged the region's tourism and financial sectors, two of the highest-contributing sectors to GDP and job creation in the islands. OECS Member States share a similar economic structure but their 
economies display varying levels of diversification. 
4.34.  Investment flows and international trade also suffered during the crisis. Global exports fell 
around 10% between 2007 and 2012, and even thou gh various sectors experienced difficulties, 
there was a significant turndown in imports. 
4.35.  The above factors, combined with the effect s of various natural disasters, resulted 
in a decline in GDP of more than 9% between 20 09 and 2010, and recent years have been marked 
by economic instability. The combined GDP of the six economies in 2013 was still below the level 
attained in 2007, which shows how complex overcoming the crisis has been for these countries. 
4.36.  Despite the similarities between these six econom ies, the crisis did not affect them equally, 
although they do share a common need to impl ement fiscal reforms, further diversify their WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  respective economies, and improve their competitiveness. The Dominican Republic, which has the 
most diversified economy and exercises judicious fiscal management, was better prepared for facing the crisis, but its financial sect or nevertheless sustained significant losses. 
4.37.  As for Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and St. Lucia – countries for which tourism is also a 
key sector – the Report shows that the crisis engendered a complex fiscal situation which calls 
for institutional consolidation and improved competitiveness. St. Kitts and Nevis has also made debt reduction a priority, but its growth pr ospects are positive in the medium term. 
4.38.  Each of these economies has been responding to the crisis with different programmes 
for reform and fiscal consolidation, which have pr oduced varying results. However, we would like 
to draw particular attention to the fact that in this complex economic environment, the OECS-WTO Members have opted to deepen the process of regional integration – which in 
many respects is one of the most advanced in the region – as a strategy for confronting the crisis 
and mutually strengthening their ability to respond to it. 
4.39.  With the entry into force of the Revised Treaty of Basseterre in 2011, the OECS Economic 
Union was established with the aim of promoting the free movement of goods, persons, 
capital and services. We fully endorse this goal, since we ourselves are headed in the same direction in the framework of the Pacific Alliance , and are fully aware of the immense effort that 
will be required to make it a reality. 
4.40.  These efforts also extend beyond the regional sphere. In 2008, the OECS Members signed 
an Economic Partnership Agreement with the Euro pean Union. The Secretariat Report shows that 
implementation of this Agreement implies considerable effort, since its provisions require the full 
application of WTO Agreements, or are even WTO plus. It also clearly demonstrates that this could 
be an opportunity to accelerate the changes in legislation necessary to comply with multilateral commitments. 
4.41.  In this connection, we emphasize that during the period under review, the OECS Members 
continued their legislative adjustments in order to comply fully with their WTO commitments, although further work is needed in certain area s. It is important that improvements are made 
to ensure the full and timely submission of noti fications, given that limited human resources have 
had a negative impact in this field. 
4.42.  We note that a common challenge facing the OECS Members on the regional 
and multilateral level lies in the need to strengthen their capacity to move forward with the 
development of necessary legislation and its subsequent implementation. The adoption in Bali 
of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, in which th e Caribbean countries played a highly significant 
role, will create new opportunities to improve the competitiveness of the region's economies, 
but it will also bring new implementation challenges. 
4.43.  We believe that Section II of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, which incorporates a new 
special and differential treatment mechanism with very strong tools for capacity building, 
will facilitate expeditious implementation. I would also like to take this opportunity to state that 
my Government is interested in the exchange of technical capacities, experiences and knowledge with the OECS economies in this area, especi ally in the context of the Single Window. 
4.44.  It should be recalled that Colombia shares common regional integration goals with 
the OECS countries, including within the Association of Caribbean States, and, as stated in 
the Report, it has a bilateral agreement with these countries. There is a great deal of potential for 
developing and deepening the trade relationship between Colombia and the OECS. Since regional 
integration is an objective and has been a topic of interest in the past on both sides, we trust that 
steps will be taken in this direction in the future. 
4.45.  I would like to conclude by stating that Colombia wishes the OECS Members a fruitful trade 
policy review which will yield beneficial recommendations and suggestions. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  CANADA 
4.46.  Canada is pleased to participate in the th ird review of the OECS-WTO Members’ Trade 
Policy. We want to congratulate the OECS member  States and the Secretariat of the WTO for their 
respective comprehensive reports covering commercial and economic developments since the last 
review in 2007. Both reports identified a number of key challenges faced by the Members, notably 
the global financial crisis and a number of natural disasters which had an adverse impact upon their economies. In large part as a result of these external shocks, the economies of the OECS 
stagnated during the 2007-2013 period, which in turn impacted their economic relationships with 
major trade and investment partners, including Canada. 
4.47.  Canada is pleased to note that most OECS member States have generally open investment 
regimes, and in general they accord “national treatment” to foreign investors. However, an open 
investment regime, while necessary, is insufficient to attract the optimal level of investment if 
other critical factors are not in place. The OECS results in the 2013 World Bank overall “Ease of Doing Business” ranking suggest that there remains room for improvement. The highest ranking 
OECS member State was ranked 64th and the lowest was107th out of the 189 countries surveyed. 
Nonetheless, all OECS members scored signific antly higher for “protecting investors.” The 
OECS-WTO Members should continue to improve the investment climate in order to attract more 
foreign direct investment. 
4.48.  Canada congratulates the OECS on the January 2011 entry into force of the Revised Treaty 
of Basseterre, and on the establishment of the OECS  Economic Union. The objectives of the treaty 
of deepening regional integration in the OECS; an d promoting the free movement of goods, capital 
and services among members are critical, given th e relatively modest population and size of 
current OECS nations. The treaty is an importan t building block towards OECS integration, but it 
must now be accompanied by the harmonization of various policies under this treaty, including 
fiscal policy and tariff schedules. 
4.49.  Canada recognizes the challenges facing OECS member States in this regard, and 
encourages the OECS member States to continue  with the reform programmes which have been 
started on so many fronts - fiscal, administrative, fi nancial - as well as with efforts to develop “new 
value-added” industries. Canada, in the spirit of its longstanding friendship and partnership arrangements with the OECS both collectively and individually, will continue to lend its support and advice. Indeed, one of the long-term goals of Cana da’s strategy of engagement with the Americas, 
including the Caribbean, is to foster mutual economic opportunity. Our development aid efforts in 
the Caribbean region are intended, therefore, to help build a more prosperous and integrated Caribbean community – one that is able to generate sustainable economic growth, and to provide 
opportunity and security to its citizens.  
4.50.  Canada’s relationship with the OECS continues to be enhanced in a number of ways through 
our regional development assistance programmes,  both those that are undertaken bilaterally 
through Canadian aid funding, and through regional and or international financial institutions, such 
as the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Caribbean Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Through its 12-year, $600 million Caribbean Regional aid programme, Canada's support is being directed at creating an enabling and 
predictable environment for economic growth thro ugh the increased capacity and accountability of 
public institutions and by fostering a more competitive private sector. Specific elements of Canada’s support to efforts aimed at promoting sustainable economic growth in the region include 
the strengthening the management of public financial resources, including debt management; 
strengthening the productivity of small- an d medium-sized enterprises; and increasing 
participation in regional and global markets.  
4.51.  While the trading relationship with Canada is relatively modest, OECS-WTO Members have a 
broader relationship with Canada in the context of their membership in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This includes participation in the ongoing Canada-CARICOM trade negotiations, which are aimed at reaching a comprehensive trade agre ement that will address investment along with 
trade in goods and services. Canada looks forward to working with CARICOM to conclude our trade 
negotiations soon. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  BRAZIL 
4.52.  Brazil shares significant historical, cultural and demographic aspects with the Caribbean 
nations. It is a pleasure to participate in the third Trade Policy Review of the OECS-WTO Members, a group of countries with which my country maintains very friendly and productive relations. 
4.53.  Our country has diplomatic representation in all six independent member States of the 
OECS. Brazil has acceded to the category of as sociated third State at OECS, and it has an 
Ambassador accredited with the Organization, in Castries (Saint Lucia). 
4.54.  Brazil is also an associated third State at CARICOM – yet another sign of our engagement 
with the Caribbean region. 
4.55.  Our country has established a number of cooperation projects with the members of the 
OECS in the last few years, in areas such as pub lic health (supplying antiretrovirals to patients 
living with HIV/AIDS) and diplomatic training (w ith the involvement of the Rio Branco Institute – 
the Brazilian diplomatic academy). These initiative s are part of a wider commitment to strengthen 
cooperation and promoting closer ties betw een Brazil and the members of the OECS. 
4.56.  We have noticed the economic fluctuations that affected the OECS-WTO Members 
economies since the last Trade Policy Review. It is, therefore, important that the WTO family continues to deliver in Special and Differential Treatment and in flexibilities for developing country 
Members, in particular for SVEs. Delegations of th e region have been playing an important role in 
this regard in this House, and we commend their efforts. 
4.57.  The OECS-WTO Members and Brazil have maintained a long-standing trade flow. However, 
the levels of trade are modest in some cases, and also subject to strong fluctuations from one year 
to the other. In this sense, we believe that trad e could be further expanded, both in terms of value 
and diversification. 
ECUADOR 
4.58.  Unlike a significant number of developing countries, the Members of the Organisation 
of Eastern Caribbean States have been able to develop a robust services sector, although there is still room for growth in other sectors which require greater technical capacity. They have 
furthermore adopted measures to promote foreign investment and ensure business stability. 
Consequently, their production sector has become more competitive and more efficient. Ecuador also recognizes the efforts made to eliminate export subsidies. 
4.59.  Moreover, we have noted that the Members und er review have taken measures to control 
the maximum values of certain basic commodities. Similarly, we have learned that during 
the review period, not one Member submitted sanitary notifications. 
4.60.  Bilateral trade between Ecuador and the Members under review, which is concentrated 
in the services sector, is still in its infancy. Likewise, trade in goods is limited and highly 
concentrated. In light of this situation, Ecuador would like to reiterate its full commitment towards deepening trade with all Members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. 
4.61.  We have submitted various questions as part of this trade policy review. In particular, 
Ecuador would like to have a copy of Act No. 7 of 2012 relating to animal health. We thank 
the delegation of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in advance for the replies that they will give to our questions. 
4.62.  Lastly, Ecuador would like to express its agreement with the points raised by the 
distinguished Representative of the OECS Memb ers on the need to reform the WTO dispute 
settlement system in terms of compliance. It is essential for the dispute settlement system 
to ensure compliance with the resolutions of the Dispute Settlement Body, in order for the 
multilateral trading system to function properly. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  TRINIDAD  AND  TOBAGO 
4.63.  Trinidad and Tobago enjoys close and friendly relations with the OECS-WTO Member States 
both as Regional neighbours and as Members,  founding Members in fact, of the Caribbean 
Community (CARICOM) established in 1973 throug h the Treaty of Chaguaramas. In addition, 
Trinidad and Tobago, together with Barbados, figures among the OECS’ main trading partners.  
4.64.  The period under review was one full of challeng es for our OECS brothers and sisters, during 
which external economic and climatic shocks, in the form of the global economic crisis and a series 
of natural disasters, adversely impacted their economies. These negative external forces combined 
with inherent challenges such as limited human, technological and financial resources to develop their productive capacity and export competitiv eness, have severely hampered OECS member 
States’ efforts at economic growth and development.   
4.65.  Notwithstanding the myriad of constraints that face them, OECS members remain resilient. 
Noteworthy initiatives on their part include a range of monetary and fiscal policy measures introduced in response to pressing fiscal and debt challenges, as well as efforts to improve the 
development, administration and coordination of tr ade policy, which will no doubt strengthen their 
participation both regionally and in the multilateral trading system.   
4.66.  A major milestone to be commended is the establishment of the OECS Economic Union in 
January 2011, which as stated in the Report by OECS WTO-Members, “will serve as the platform 
for enhanced growth and development prospects for the OECS Region”. This is a remarkable 
accomplishment for a group of small states that could serve as model example of economic and 
financial integration.   
4.67.  Another important initiative is the OECS Growth and Development Strategy (OGDS), which 
goes hand in hand with the Economic Union, to realize the following objectives:  (i) economic transformation; (ii) growth; (iii) employment; and (iv) poverty reduction.  
4.68.  Worthy of special mention are the sectors that have been identified as the focus sectors in 
which OECS members wish to develop their productive capacity and export competitiveness, to meet the objectives of their growth and deve lopment strategy. They include, among others, 
tourism, agriculture, services, creative industries and information and communication Technologies 
(ICTs). 
4.69.  The ECCU Eight Point Stabilization and Growth Programme, which includes the 
Macroeconomic Stability package and a Financial Sector Stability Component, must also be 
commended. My delegation hopes that the OECS members would receive the required support to 
ensure their successful implementation. 
4.70.  The experience of our OECS colleagues has put the spotlight on the state of vulnerability of 
countries such as ours in the Caribbean Region. It has also underscored the importance of a 
greater concentration of effort and focus on the development dimension of the Doha Development Agenda negotiations, particularly as it relates to special and differential treatment. This to ensure 
that the smaller and more vulnerable Members of the WTO could realize our principal goal of 
greater integration into the global trading system, given trade’s importance as a key enabler to sustainable economic growth and development. In  this regard, my delegation also wishes to 
underscore the importance of Aid for Trade and Trade Facilitation, particularly as relates to the 
Section II provisions on Special and Differential Treatment.  
4.71.  On the topic of the WTO, we take this opport unity to reiterate our support to our CARICOM 
colleague and OECS member, Antigua and Barbuda, in its gaming dispute with the United States 
and we look forward to a mutually acceptable settlement for this longstanding dispute.   
4.72.  In conclusion, my delegation wishes to commend our OECS colleagues for their strong 
commitment to the multilateral trading system, which is reflected in their active and positive 
engagement in the WTO negotiations.   WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  BARBADOS 
4.73.  The small vulnerable economies of the OECS Union like many other developing and 
developed countries have experienced significant negative fallout from the economic and financial crisis of 2008. The impact of the crisis on the OECS countries however, was further compounded 
by devastation on these countries from natural disasters during the same period. As a 
consequence of these significant factors, the countries of the OECS realized a downturn in economic activity over the period of review . OECS economies recorded an approximate 10% 
contraction of real GDP between 2009 and 2010 before  recovering slightly in the following year. 
The downward trend picked-up again in 2012. One of  the main reasons purported has been the fall 
off and pickup in tourism receipts - the mainstay for many OECS countries and major contributors to GDP growth - due to the effects of the crisis on the main source markets for the OECS tourism. 
4.74.  In an effort to respond to the fiscal pressures of the crisis, the Governments of the 
individual OECS countries have embarked on fiscal reform and consolidation programmes. Some of the programmes employed include the imposition of value added tax (VAT) to replace consumption 
tax, the rationalization of fuel prices, reform and increased coverage of excise taxes. In addition, 
the islands have undertaken a debt restructuring strategy involving among other things: debt relief through write-offs, lengthening of maturity, debt swaps, and lower interest rates. It is 
anticipated that these efforts at debt restructurin g should also ease the fiscal burden by reducing 
interest and amortization payments. The report has given some positive indication that these policies have been successful in achieving a reduction in the fiscal deficit from US$245 million in 2009 to US$135 million in 2012. 
4.75.  As neighbouring Caribbean islands and brother and sisters in the Caribbean Community 
(CARICOM), Barbados, together with the OE CS-WTO Members and our other sub-regional 
counterparts have embarked on achieving economic integration and harmonization through the 
CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) and therefore share several common ideals. In this 
connection Barbados like our partners in the OECS considers regional integration to be a major contributor to the attainment of social  and economic growth and development. 
4.76.  The small island developing States of the OECS have been characterized as small, 
vulnerable, open economies which susceptible to external shocks. The main challenges to their social and economic development include their dependence on a few export products, proneness to natural disasters environmental degradation from the impact of climate change, high levels of 
debt, a limited export base, remoteness to international markets and the traditional diseconomies 
of scale. 
4.77.  The OECS countries have consistently reinforced the position that small economies be 
allowed the flexibility to commit to trade liberalization and formulate trade policies in accordance 
with their levels of development. My delegation strongly supports this view and looks forward to 
the continuation of work with Members to ensure  that progress in the Work Programme on Small 
Economies is accelerated in line with the decision adopted at the Hong Kong Ministerial 
Conference. Such flexibilities will enable small econ omies to continue to successfully pursue their 
economic reforms, developmental objectives and further integrate into the multilateral trading system. 
4.78.  We also note that the OECS countries have stressed the importance of support mechanisms, 
including technical cooperation, in assisting them to fulfil their WTO commitments, and conduct the institutional, legal and economic adjustment as a result of trade liberalization. This is particularly 
critical as significant human resource limitations hamper these countries in reaping the benefits of 
achieving higher levels of integration and fulfilling their WTO notifications commitments. 
SEPARATE
 CUSTOMS  TERRITORY  OF TAIWAN,  PENGHU,  KINMEN  AND  MATSU 
4.79.  From the OECS and Secretariat Reports we can clearly see the attempts made at boosting 
economic activity in the east Caribbean region , though these economies have generally stopped 
growing since the last review in 2007, mainly due to  external factors such as natural disasters, the 
global financial crisis, and their high reliance on imports. OECS members continue to be mainly 
characterized as small and vulnerable economies. Some growth in the tourism and financial WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  services sectors has contributed to GDP and employment. But it is trade that remains crucial to 
their economic development. 
4.80.  For small-size economies, perhaps the most obvi ous cure is regional integration. We were 
pleased to see one significant development since the last review, the revised Treaty of Basseterre 
Establishing the OECS Economic Union signed in June 2010. The Treaty calls for the free 
movement of goods, people, capital and services. However, this Economic Union launched in 2011 has sadly yet to be implemented because considerable work still has to be done on such matters 
as legislation, harmonization, and tariff schedules. We hope this economic union can be brought 
into operation as soon as possible. It has a major role to play in boosting trade flows and the creation of wealth for the common good. 
4.81.  We have also been pleased to see the OECS-WTO Members continuing to be active 
participants in the regular work of the WTO, and committed to strengthening the multilateral 
trading system. We encourage all WTO Members and WTO institutions to pay great attention to their needs as small vulnerable economies and help to provide the technical assistance that is so 
crucial to their development within the multilateral trading system. 
4.82.  Bilaterally, OECS members are very important pa rtners of the Separate Customs Territory of 
Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. Though the trade and economic flows between us may not 
yet be that significant, we have a long history of providing technical assistance and cultural 
activities to the region. We work closely with the OECS Secretariat in St. Lucia. We have undertaken a number of institutional capacity-building projects on agriculture, infrastructure, and IT, especially in St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and Grenadines and St. Lucia, sharing our 
extensive experience in these areas to try to enla rge and diversify the scale of economic activities. 
And, in consideration of the great importance of education in these three countries, we sponsor a regular scholarship to help raise the level of human resources in the region.  
4.83.  We recognize the huge challenges faced by OECS members in striving for economic 
integration in the global economy, and that all small and vulnerable economies need our attention and international support. 
JAMAICA 
4.84.  Jamaica attaches great importance to this Trade Policy Review for many reasons.  
4.85.  The OECS as an integrated trade and economic  entity is an important partner for Jamaica 
within the framework of the regional integration movement and the thrust to establish a CARICOM 
Single Market and Economy as well as in the wider hemispheric and international context.  
4.86.  Jamaica and the members of the OECS have more in common than mere geography - we 
enjoy strong social, economic and trade links that are rooted in a common history and a shared 
commitment to sustainable growth, developmen t and progress in the Caribbean region.   
4.87.  We are also small vulnerable island economies facing many common challenges.  
4.88.  In addition to their vulnerability to natural disasters that can have a tremendous impact on 
trade and macroeconomic performance, many OECS  economies are also challenged in terms of 
their narrow economic base and strong reliance on imports. These factors serve to increase their 
vulnerability to external shocks as reflected in the serious impact of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis on OECS economies. 
4.89.  We wish to highlight a number of important observations that were made in the context of 
the preparatory work for this Trade Policy Review:  
 We note the OECS’ commitment to improved trade facilitation through the continued 
 implementation of new measures including the introduction of various versions of ASYCUDA 
 for customs processing and clearance across all six territories. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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   We also note the important role which trade plays within the OECS, representing some 
 100% of their aggregate GDP. Of particular sign ificance is the contribution of the services 
 sector to their economies. 
 We further note that trade diversification and development continue to be of significant 
 value to the OECS’ overall agenda and in this context strong regional and multilateral 
 support is vital. 
 The signing of the Revised Treaty of Bassete rre in July 2010, the adoption of a common 
 currency, the establishment of a Central Bank and the introduction of a common 
 telecommunications policy and regulatory bo dy are testimony to the OECS’ commitment to 
 deeper integration.  
4.90.  Despite the many challenges, we are pleased to note that the OECS has been taking bold 
measures to mitigate the impact of the 2008 financ ial crisis and its ripple effects on the economies 
of individual members. Through a commitment to fi scal reform and consolidation, in addition to 
sound debt restructuring strategies, they have managed to dampen inflation, reduce the fiscal 
deficit by just over 50% in three years and impr ove their debt to GDP ratio by 17 percentage 
points since the last review period.  
4.91.  In the context of a post-Bali agenda and the crafting of a DDA Work Programme, the 
preservation of S&D treatment and flexibilities for SVEs is fundamental to their prospects for 
enhanced trade and economic development as well as a clear improvement in the quality of life for their respective populations. With this in mind, the countries of the OECS, like Jamaica, continue 
to recognize the importance of a rules based mult ilateral trading system while seeking to ensure 
that these rules take fully into account the situation facing small vulnerable economies such as 
ours. 
4.92.  The preparation for a Trade Policy Review is by no means a simple or easy process for 
resource challenged countries like ours. Jamaica congratulates the OECS members for the progress 
they have achieved in regional and internatio nal trade and wishes for them a successful third 
Trade Policy Review.   
NIGERIA 
4.93.  Nigeria is happy to note that the trade regimes of the respective OECS member States have 
been stable since their last review in 2007, while trade policy coordination among them has increased, particularly in areas such as contingency measures, competition policy as well as fiscal 
policy, as highlighted in the Secretariat Report. Significant efforts have been made to improve the 
business climate with respect to the harmonisatio n of business law, simplifying procedures, and 
several initiatives to combat corruption. Almost all the member States have amended their 
domestic procurement regimes since the last re view. There are common ba nking regulations with 
the same establishment conditions for domestic and foreign institutions.  
4.94.  We are encouraged by the strong commitment of the OECS towards pursuing economic 
policy aimed at liberalizing trade, market penetration, building solid economic structures and more 
efficient business facilitation. Furthermore, all of the member States have embarked on a phased reduction of customs tariffs and programmes toward the removal of quantitative restrictions, while majority of OECS member Stat es have de-monopolized the telecommunications sector, and 
established a coherent regional regulatory framewor k. In this regard, we note again that one of 
the key policy objectives of the OECS is to improve the competitiveness of the region. The Government Report acknowledged the critical role of trade facilitation, which has the potential to 
reduce the time and cost of moving goods across borders.     
4.95.  The OECS member States share common characteristics. They are small, vulnerable, open 
economies, and heavily dependent on trade. They are very volatile and prone to external shocks. 
They share similar developmental challenges, structural economic challenges, particularly their 
exposure to changes in terms of trade, tourism and foreign investment flows, including natural 
hazards and impact from climate change. In addition, high debt levels and limited fiscal space also pose significant constraints on their Governments. We are not surprised that the Secretariat and 
Government Reports acknowledge these challenges. We note further that during the period under WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  review, the OECS member States faced some of their most formidable economic and social 
challenges, coupled with sluggish economic recovery, as a result of the global financial crisis.  Despite the fact that the OECS economies have made significant progress on many aspects of development in relation to the MDGs, persistent lo w growth and a high debt overhang are of great 
concern and stumbling block affecting their ability to address these challenges. Nigeria further 
notes that the economic performance of the OECS member States has been disparate and sluggish, albeit for different reasons but most especially as a result of the impact of the global 
economic and financial crisis. 
4.96.  According to the Government Report, OECS member States identify tourism as the lead 
transformative sector for the region due to its sign ificant direct impact on GDP, employment levels 
and foreign exchange earnings in most member States, and given its untapped opportunities for 
generating economic activity in other sectors.  W e  c o m m e n d  t h e  i n i t i a t i v e  b y  t h e  O E C S  o f  a  
regional tourism sector strategy, intended to addr ess the impact of the global crisis and chart the 
way forward by exploring new opportunities. The same report noted that since 2007, tourism’s 
performance as a major economic driver in the OECS region has been severely impacted by a 
number of crises, most notably the global economic and financial crisis, which manifested fully the second half of 2008.   
4.97.  Although SVEs are not a recognized sub-category of WTO Members, yet they have 
characteristics that combine to place them in a situation of vulnerability and hence require targeted trade-related solutions. As rightly highlighted in the Government Report, the peculiarities of the OECS member States make pursuit of growth and development objectives particularly 
challenging. These challenges include: small domestic markets that pose inherent constraints to 
private sector efficiency and growth; limited produc t diversification; increasing both the risk and 
return that can be derived from economic activity; and diseconomies of scale in the provision of 
public service.  
4.98.  Unfortunately, the OECS are also vulnerable to natural disasters, such as hurricanes and 
other extreme weather events, including droughts. These disasters no doubt reduce the domestic 
capital shock, leading to increase in the cost of  capital, and force them to resort additional 
borrowing to aid their recovery efforts. In this regard, the enhanced market access for them in agriculture, NAMA, and services must be in addi tion to the current access market access available 
to them in developed country markets. As major constraint facing the OECS and indeed all SVEs is 
their lack of capacity in almost all areas related to international trade. This lack of capacity relates 
to human, financial, technical and institutional resources. This is the context in which the reference to capacity building programmes in Paragraph 2 of Doha Ministerial Declaration should be 
interpreted bearing in mind that the Ministerial Declaration includes several other references to 
technical assistance and capacity building. The OECS need increased trading opportunities as well as capacity building assistance. Hence the capaci ty building promise of the Doha Round should be 
viewed on its own merit and should be fulfilled. 
4.99.  Since OECS member States have some competitive advantage in the area of services, it will 
be highly appreciated if the market access barrier s being faced by them, which has prevented their 
service providers from penetrating foreign markets are lifted. As a result of the OECS member 
States’ vulnerability and size, it is important that they are given special and differential treatment 
in order to facilitate their effective participation and integration in the multilateral trading system. In this regard, the support and cooperation of  the developed countries and donor agencies, 
including development partners are fundamental if the OECS member States are to enjoy the 
benefits accruable from their Membership of the WTO. Nigeria has excellent bilateral economic and political relations with all the OECS member St ates, and willing to deepen and strengthen the 
existing close ties as well as the promotion of intra-regional trade. Nigeria remains ready and 
willing to continue to work with the OECS member States, in collaboration with the OECS Secretariat that has not only raised their profile, but also provided technical support and expertise in strengthening their negotiating positions.  
4.100.  As highlighted in the Government Report, the limited human and technical capacity across 
the OECS member States has hindered their ability to effectively cover the complex negotiations, including fulfilling their obligations, in particular, notifications.  
4.101.  In conclusion, Nigeria wishes to encourage Members to provide the OECS member States 
with the needed technical and financial assistance under the Aid for Trade initiative, particularly in WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  the areas of trade policy coordination and in the context of regional agenda. We urge Members to 
support the reforms being undertaken by the OECS member States to create the business-friendly environment, which should attract investment in those sectors that would significantly contribute to economic growth and diversification, as well as wealth creation, employment generation and 
poverty alleviation, and ensure the sustenance of the OESC Secretariat in Geneva for its 
indispensable services.  
COSTA
 RICA 
4.102.  The delegations who spoke before me have already raised various important issues. 
Nevertheless, I wish to briefly highlight several points. I would particularly like to underline the role of trade in these small economies and the importance of the coordination of their trade policies and the creation of the Economic Union. Following the contraction of these economies, 
we are beginning to see signs that they will recover from the crisis, although they remain 
vulnerable to external shocks. 
4.103.  We would also like to underscore the efforts made to introduce trade facilitation measures 
in recent years. We recognize the contribution of these countries towards the conclusion of the 
Trade Facilitation Agreement and we urge them to  notify promptly, and certainly before the end 
of July 2014, category A commitments to the Pr eparatory Committee, and to move forward with 
the identification of areas in which they will require technical assistance in order to implement 
this Agreement. 
4.104.  Costa Rica did not submit questions to the countries under review as part of this TPR. 
However, my delegation has closely followed this  exercise, as it involves a Caribbean region 
to which Costa Rica attaches a great deal of importance. In March 2004, our countries and the 
other members of CARICOM signed a Free Trade Agreement. The Agreement establishes special and differential treatment by Costa Rica for OECS Members, whereby Costa Rica unilaterally grants 
immediate and free access to all goods originatin g from these countries, with some exceptions. 
Since then, although total trade figures continue to be quite low, with bilateral trade having barely 
reached US$6 million in 2013, the trade growth rate has been steady and we hope that 
it will continue to increase both quantitatively  and qualitatively. In this respect, we urge 
the OECS Members to conclude their domestic rati fication procedures to enable this Agreement 
to enter into force in their countries. 
JAPAN 
4.105.  Let me start with the substantial part, the macroeconomic policies of OECS. According to 
the Report by the Secretariat, all in all, the economies of the OECS-WTO Members stagnated during 2007-2011. For ex ample, real GDP for th e OECS contracted by nearly 10% between 2009 
and 2010 because of the global financial crisis co upled with natural disasters. Japan hopes that 
OECS-WTO Members will overcome these challeng es and will achieve stable economic growth 
through their endeavours, such as diversifying their industries and so forth. 
4.106.  Let me move to the next point, RTAs. OECS -WTO Members have concluded various kinds 
o f  R T A s  s o  f a r ,  s u c h  a s  t h e  O E C S  E c o n o m i c  U n i o n ,  C A R I C O M  a n d  t h e  C A R I C O M  S i n g l e  M a r k e t  Economy, the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnershi p, and bilateral trade agreements with other 
WTO Members through their participation in CARICOM. Japan hopes that the RTAs associated with 
OECS-WTO Members will complement the multilateral trading system represented by the WTO.  
4.107.  Finally, we would like to turn to a specific point, export subsidies for manufactured goods. 
Japan appreciates the movement toward the elimination of export subsidies to comply with the 
end-2015 WTO deadline, which is described in the Report of both the Secretariat and Saint Vincent 
and the Grenadines. Japan monitors the review pr ocess from a systemic point of view. Further 
information will be much appreciated. 
CUBA 
4.108.  The members of the OECS and Cuba enjoy close bonds of friendship and cooperation. 
As Caribbean countries, not only do we share common historical and cultural roots, but we also face similar problems. It is therefore no surpri se that we have common objectives in the WTO. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  4.109.  In this respect, we wish to commend the e fforts of the OECS Representatives in Geneva 
who, despite the small size of their delegations, have continued to participate actively in the negotiations and work of the WTO. Before this Body, we support the requests made by the OECS for the WTO to focus its efforts on establishing an equitable framework for trade, and particularly 
for the technical assistance needs of these small, vulnerable economies to be met. 
4.110.  We furthermore emphasize the concerns raised  on the operation of the dispute settlement 
system. It is important to take into account the OECS's requests for innovative solutions aimed 
at ensuring prompt compliance with DSB rulings and recommendations. We refer in particular 
to the dispute regarding the "cross-border supply of gambling and betting services", in which the 
rulings favourable to Antigua and Barbuda are still awaiting compliance by the United States; this is affecting the key economic interests of one of the world's smallest economies. 
4.111.  We take this opportunity to advise that, under the Cooperation Agreement 
between CARICOM and Cuba, our country has submitted for consideration a list of products with preferential access to the Cuban market. 
4.112.  Lastly, we emphasize our agreement with the viewpoint expressed in the OECS Report, 
that the current WTO negotiations should contribute to the growth and development 
of all Members and, in particular, should protect and take into account the fragility of small and 
vulnerable economies. 
VANUATU
 ON BEHALF  OF THE PACIFIC  ISLAND  FORUM 
4.113.  In assessing the Reports before us, Members ought to be left with little uncertainty, the 
size and dimensions of the challenges faced by sm all, open economies such as those of the OECS. 
Beyond the modest size of their internal market ; relative remoteness from main export markets; 
high factor and input costs; high levels of external debt, susceptibility to natural disaster and external shocks, the OECS like most other small economies remains heavily reliant on the 
multilateral trading system in order to remain economically viable. 
4.114.  The findings of the reports underscore the challenges faced by small economies in 
remaining competitive in an environment where major economies continue to consolidate, and as 
capital and production are increasingly concentrated in larger markets. The reports also establish a 
reasonably clear link between the secular decline in export earnings from key agricultural sectors, and preference erosion. These structural factors appear to have conspired to restrain growth, and subdue foreign direct investment since the last Trade Policy Review conducted in 2007. 
4.115.  These challenges are, however, not peculiar to the members of the OECS, they impact 
most small economies. This fact serves to highli ght the need to ensure that special regimes are 
established within the parameters of the Doha Round that supports and enables the commercial 
and trade viability of small economies. The multilateral system should act as a catalyst for 
strengthening the economic resilience of the smallest and most vulnerable Members. 
4.116.  It is encouraging that the member States of the OECS are seeking to make the necessary 
adjustments to improve their competitive position, in some instances embarking on home-grown 
structural adjustment programmes. In working towards the establishment of an environment 
conducive to economic expansion, and bearing in mind some of the structural impediments to growth, the OECS has undertaken to improve the ea se of "doing business" between and within the 
OECS jurisdiction. 
4.117.  Strengthening supply-side capacities and improv ing the quality of physical and regulatory 
infrastructure aimed at enhanced trade penetration and performance is reflected in the report as a 
high priority for the OECS sub-region. To this  end, Aid for Trade is seen as an important 
developmental dimension necessary to spur priv ate sector led growth, and towards redressing 
some of the structural constraints that currently impede most small economies. 
4.118.  While these efforts should be applauded, the broader WTO Membership should take due 
account of the main priorities of small States in fashioning any workable post-Bali agenda. My delegation applauds the strides made by the OECS  since its last Trade Policy Review and for the 
transparency and openness of its report. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  4.119.  Finally but not least, my delegation would like to take this opportunity to implore the 
Membership of this House to take note of the pe rsistent and acute vulnerabilities that impact on 
the OECS and other small economies and in so doin g, best efforts should be deployed to ensure 
that the multilateral architecture is fully responsive to identified needs. 
PAPUA  NEW  GUINEA 
4.120.  On behalf of my delegation, I would like to share our support for the statement delivered 
by Vanuatu in congratulating the OECS members for undertaken their third Trade Policy Review. 
4.121.  We note the challenges of the OECS which are quite similar to the challenges faced by the 
Pacific Islands including Papua New Guinea, which are members of the small and vulnerable economies. 
4.122.  One of the interesting significant developments reflected in the OECS Trade Policy Review 
r e g a r d s  i t s  w o r k  p r o g r e s s  o n  d e v e l o p i n g  a n  E c o n o m i c  U n i o n  t h a t  a i m s  t o  a d d r e s s  s o m e  o f  t h e  
challenges highlighted in its report. The OECS members made commitment to economic integration and to trade and development to integrate the region into the global economy. 
4.123.  As highlighted by some Members, the discussion today offers some confidence not only to 
the OECS members but also to small and vulnerable economies. This is an interesting policy framework that may be of relevance and could serv e as an important platform in overcoming the 
systemic and systematic economic challenges that are specific to small and vulnerable island 
economies.  
4.124.  My delegation echoes the need for Members to know the challenges highlighted in the 
OECS Report and to provide solutions within the co ntext of the multilateral trading system to the 
OECS members in implementing the WTO obligations and commitments, and at the same, 
respecting the rights in order to effectively benefit from the system. 
KENYA
 ON BEHALF  OF THE ACP GROUP 
4.125.  We note from the Trade Policy Review reports that the development prospects of the 
OECS-WTO Members have been affected by a number of factors which include: small and highly open economies; high dependence on tourism sector; exposure to frequent natural disasters; 
narrow economic base; and persistent fiscal deficits. These factors make the OECS vulnerable to 
external shocks. In fact, during the period under review, the tourism sector which is the main contributor to the GDP was adversely affected by the global financial crisis. There was a decline in the tourism arrivals which led to the contraction of the real GDP for the OECS by nearly 10% 
between 2009 and 2010 before recovering slightly in 2011, and contracting again in 2012. We are 
glad to note that the GDP growth rebounded ba ck in 2013 as a result of increased exports in 
services sector. 
4.126.  Regional integration has played an important role in addressing some of the challenges 
faced by the OECS members. Regional integration process has contributed to increased trade and investments. Under the Eastern Caribbean Curre ncy Union (ECCU), a harmonization monetary 
exchange rate policy has been pursed leading to a relatively low inflation and stable 
macroeconomic environment. Fiscal policy, howeve r, is conducted independently by each OECS 
country and we are pleased to note that there ar e future plans for progressive harmonization of 
policies in this area. 
4.127.  During the period under review, the OECS d eepened further their regional integration 
process by establishing an Economic Union which entered into force in January 2011. We encourage the OECS members to continue making progress in the consolidation of the regional 
integration. Comprehensive regional integration among the OECS and between the CARICOM 
members would be instrumental for economic pros perity of the region. The OECS need to be 
encouraged and supported by the internationa l community in order to implement regional 
commitments so as to build up into deeper and effective regional markets. 
4.128.  We commend the OECS-WTO Members for the active role they have played so far in the 
work of the WTO and, in particular, in the DDA negotiations. As members of the ACP Group, the WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  OECS countries have contributed constructively in advancing the interests of the Group, 
particularly in the ongoing WTO DDA negotiations. 
4.129.  The implementation of the WTO commitments presents some challenges to small and 
vulnerable economies like the OECS members. Th e OECS therefore needs technical assistance and 
a capacity building to fully implement WTO commitments and benefit from the multilateral rules. 
4.130.  In conclusion, we note the challenges faced by the OECS countries as small and vulnerable 
economies. We commend the OECS for the reform s that have been initiated to address these 
challenges and accelerate economic growth and development. Enhanced support including through 
aid for trade can contribute to the realization of development goals being pursued by the OECS countries. 
H.E. DR
 PATRICK  ANTOINE 
4.131.  Thank you to all of you for taking the time to come. It is obvious to me that our Members 
have taken this exercise as serious as we have. I am impressed with the submissions that we had which demonstrates that you not only focused on the content of the report that we have prepared 
but in some cases you also have duly gone into the footnotes and you have taken the time to 
extend that to directions th at are very helpful to us.  
4.132.  I think we had a good participation so far. We had our three largest trading partners 
commenting in substance (European Union, the United States and Trinidad and Tobago). From the 
integration stand point, we are touched by the words from the colleagues close to us: Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad. So, from a regional political stand point, the participation in this Trade Policy Review encourages us and is heartwarming to us. 
4.133.  From the stand point of broader arrangement, the words by my dear colleague and 
longstanding friend from the ACP are profound. I am really deeply touched by the comments of my 
colleague from Nigeria. I believe that the depth in which all of you have gone is going to be very 
useful for us not just over the next two days but also when we return to capital. 
4.134.  Thank you to all of you that have spoken, to all the delegations that made so many 
profound remarks and that have gone into detail in this exercise. Be assured that we are going to 
take these words to heart and we too will demonstrate our seriousness to this exercise by coming 
back with very pointed responses to the several profound remarks raised in the questions and in 
what we heard today. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  5  REPLIES BY THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OECS-WTO MEMBERS AND ADDITIONAL 
COMMENTS (MR ALVA BAPTISTE) 
Introduction 5.1.  I am indeed honoured on behalf of the OECS-WTO  member States to be here this morning, to 
deliver our response and to offer the closing statement following the first session of the OECS 
Trade Policy Review which was held on Tuesday. I would have liked to have been present for our first meeting but I had prior commitments which precluded my attendance. However, in the 
opening statement delivered by Ambassador Patrick Antoine on behalf of the OECS, the multiplicity 
of challenges confronting the OECS-WTO Members was placed in proper context.  
5.2.  Also, from the report and briefing that I received from my OECS delegation, the session was 
constructive. I understand that about 20 delegations took the floor to make interventions 
regarding the progress made by the OECS member s in fulfilment of our obligations to the 
multilateral trading system in the overall exercise of our trade policy. I would like to thank all the delegations that took the time to examine the voluminous information contained in the fourteen 
reports which forms the basis of our deliberations. I should also like to express our profound 
gratitude for all those delegations that offered oral interventions. Our appreciation is also extended to all those who submitted advanced written questions and comments on the reports prepared by 
the WTO Secretariat as well as by our OECS member States and the OECS Secretariat. 
5.3.  We believe that the Trade Policy Review Mechanism constitutes an important and invaluable 
component of the WTO and the multilateral trading system in fulfilment of the fundamental principle of transparency. 
5.4.  I would like to commend our Officials in capitals, Geneva-based Officials, and the staff of the 
Trade Policy Review Division of the WTO Secretariat for their hard work in preparing the reports. 
5.5.  We have identified a number of common themes from the reports, advanced written 
questions and the interventions that emerged th roughout the process. I will now proceed to 
address these under nine substantive areas begi nning with the issue of compliance with WTO 
obligations. 
Notifications obligations 
5.6.  On the matter of notifications, the OECS is fully cognisant of its notification obligations and 
remains committed to fulfilling its transparency requirements. We note in particular the concerns regarding SPS legislation and regulations as well as  the need to notify measures implemented in a 
timely manner. While we will make every effort to update the legislation and address the 
outstanding notifications, we however continue to face a lack of adequate technical capacity and 
human resources in the various ministries and departments responsible for making these 
notifications. The fact that our capacity in lega l drafting continues to be challenged by myriad 
demands also contributes to a less than optimal pace in the passage of important legislation. We are seeking to address these areas by introducing a Caribbean Health and Food Safety Agency 
(CAHFSA) and by pooling our limited technical reso urces to eke out scale economies. Even so this 
continues to be an area in which some technical assistance could be meaningful. 
Import licences 5.7.  Import licences, in the limited instances where they are applied, are largely for administrative 
and statistical purposes. In such instances, these licences are automatic. In a few other instances, 
import licences have historically been used as a defensive policy tool to support economic development through stimulating domestic producti on. Where these import licences are deployed 
in this manner, our Members are in the process of reforming these measures to instruments, 
including tariffication and domestic policy measures, which are more consistent with WTO provisions. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  Other duties and charges 
5.8.  With regard to this matter, it would be useful to underscore that ODC's and the Customs 
Service Charge (CSC) are not the same. In respec t of ODCs, the OECS sub-region has registered 
substantial progress both in reducing the number of different tax types and also the incidence of 
these ODC's measured as a share of total trade taxe s. This is evident from conversion of border 
taxes to the VAT, as part of a comprehensive tax reform process that is ongoing in virtually all OECS countries at this time. Our Customs Service Charges are currently under review, and part of 
the reforms taking place across our customs administrations. This is somewhat more challenging 
as audits need to be undertaken on the true co st of service delivery for services provided in 
connection with the transiting of goods through the border points. We want to assure the Membership that these are issues which are receiving our considered attention as we attempt to 
reduce the cost of goods transiting our ports,  and to improve our efficiency and enhance our 
competitiveness. 
Variances in bound rates and applied rates and size of water in tariff 
5.9.  We acknowledge that in a few instances the applied rates in some member States are higher 
than their bound rates. However, in those member States, the average applied tariff is still substantially below the average bound. These member States are working to address these 
matters and at this stage have not ruled out Article XXVIII processes, where other solutions are 
not forthcoming. 
5.10.  The OECS notes with concern the comments or questions on the level of "water in our 
tariff." We would like to remind Members that having gaps between applied and bounds rates does 
not breach any obligations under the WTO Agreement. 
5.11.  Paradoxically, if Members have expressed concern over instances where the applied rate is 
above the bound, then conversely we should be  commended for instances where the applied is 
less than the bound, and where our Economic Union continues to make heavy instalments to the 
multilateral process through unilateral liberalization.  
5.12.  We appreciate the comments regarding the lack of predictability that high bound rates 
"may" create for traders, but respectfully indicate that the probability of this is extremely small for 
OECS members. We inform Members that the OECS member States are committed, via the 
Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, to a rigorous regional process where any alteration in the "applied" tariff is contemplated. The Revised Treaty of Basseterre, which sets out the legal 
strictures for the OECS Economic Union, also co ntemplates a similarly rigorous process in the 
exercise of tariff disciplines. To the Members who have asked when these bound rates will be reduced, may we remind them that we are current ly engaged in the DDA, and that OECS members 
are "demandeurs" for tariff reforms in proposals which clearly sets out our positions as SVEs. We 
anticipate engaging in the exchange of concessi ons within the context of the usual Rounds and as 
well other modalities prescribed by the Body, namely Article XXVIII. 
Export subsidies 
5.13.  Several delegations raised the issue of the elimination of export subsidies and sought 
information on the steps being taken to comply with the 2015 deadline. Madam Chair, you would 
no doubt recall the General Council Decision WT/L/691 of 2007 on the extension of the transitional 
period for export subsidies for certain Members, including the OECS. Pursuant to this Decision, we 
have submitted annual notifications on the export subsidy programmes and have detailed the steps we are undertaking as well as the progress being made to eliminate those subsidies. Rest 
assured that OECS members are fully committe d to working towards the 2015 deadline. 
National treatment for foreign investors 5.14.  We note the questions and comments on our investment framework and whether national 
treatment is provided to foreign investors and would seek to point out that the OECS has a 
relatively open investment climate. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  Government procurement 
5.15.  A number of delegations have inquired about the possibility of the OECS becoming party to 
the Government Procurement Agreement. This is not a matter on which we have as yet adopted a position. However, as part of the CARICOM framework, the OECS is in the process of implementing 
modern GP legislation. 
The way forward 5.16.  Allow me to reiterate our commitment to the multilateral trading system and the WTO. The 
OECS remains committed to the successful conclusion of the DDA. Additionally, we look forward to 
the implementation of the Bali decisions including the TFA. We are particularly eager to see a vesting of the requisite financial and technical assistance in accordance with said TFA, as an early harvest of the DDA. In all this, we are mindful that "One swallow does not a summer bring", and 
we wish to signal our commitment to a fruitful outcome of the DDA, including a progressive 
outcome for SVE, including the modalities 
5.17.  We are pellucid that not all development issues  can be addressed by the WTO, but the work 
of this body holds profound implications for the recovery of our economies from debt and economic 
malaise. Clearly, there is a role for unilateral action. And it is evident that our economies have in many instances offered far greater liberalization than we have committed. Admittedly, there 
remains an unfinished agenda and we thank Members for holding our hands through this process. 
We implore other Members to honour their commitments in assisting us to achieve the potential benefits of trade by facilitating our key export interests into their markets. Unilateral actions and (development oriented support) by our key trading partners, will bring multiple dividends to our 
trade development by facilitating business activity along with well-targeted trade related 
assistance. Can you imagine if our development partners were to provide us with assistance to develop our domestic production capacity for major economic sectors including services? 
5.18.  Can you imagine the benefits if these partners were to remove certain domestic taxes, such 
as the airline passenger duty and internal barriers that inhibit developments in the expansion of our trade in goods and services? We would experience an influx in visitors to the delight of our 
tourism sector. 
5.19.  Can you imagine the benefits to the small countries of the OECS were they also to provide 
us with both technical and financial assistance to implement the systems and innovations that they have at their borders? These actions, though unilateral, find their basis within the multilateral 
trading system and will truly assist in trade being mainstreamed into developmental goals and 
objectives. 
Closing remarks 
5.20.  Before I take my leave, it would be remiss of me if I did not take this opportunity to thank 
specifically those Members who offered solidarity and support to the OECS Economic Union. We appreciate the interventions of those Members wh o understand the particular challenges that we 
as small States face in trying to functi on in a multilateral trading environment. 
5.21.  We wish to reiterate our continued need for assistance and support in all areas to comply 
with our obligations, to engage in further needed reforms and to enhance our trade development particularly with developing domestic capacity and penetrating export markets. 
5.22.  In that regard, we take note of the comments of support from our development partners 
and look forward to continued constructive engagement. 
DISCUSSANT 
5.23.  I would like to begin by recognizing the presence  of Hon. Alva Baptise, Minister of external 
Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation of St. Lucia who has managed to join us in today’s meeting.  WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  5.24.  During our first meeting on Tuesday, my asse ssment is that we had good discussions on the 
performance of the economies of the OECS-WTO Members and their trade policies. The contributions both from the Members and the OECS delegation were constructive and encouraging. 
I would like to thank the Hon. Minister for the comprehensive statement that has also responded 
to the comments, observations and concerns raised by Members during our discussions in our first 
meeting. 
5.25.  At the first meeting, the Members highlighted the challenges faced by the OECS as small 
and vulnerable island economies. The meeting also commended the OECS-WTO Members for their 
considerable efforts in improving their economic and trading environment despite the challenges they face. In my closing statement today I would like to make some briefs remarks on three themes that I identified during the discussions: regional integration; economic reforms; and Aid 
for Trade. 
5.26.  On regional integration, it has played a key role  in addressing some of the challenges facing 
the OECS-WTO Members. The reduction and elimin ation of barriers through regional integration 
has contributed to increased flow of trade and investments resulting into more economic gains. 
However, the creation of regional institutions re sponsible for policy formulation, coordination and 
implementation remain a major challenge due to financial and human capacity constraints. I am 
glad to note that the issue of regional institutional capacity building is one of the priorities for the 
OECS as they deepen and widen their regional integration process and would like to encourage them in this regard. I must also add that comprehensive regional integration in the context of the CARICOM can also contribute in addressing institutional challenges faced by the OECS members. 
5.27.  On economic reforms, I observe that they are cr ucial in the process of economic recovery of 
the OECS-WTO Members which at the moment rema in fragile and weak. The fiscal deficits were 
identified as one of the major challenges to th e economic recovery of the OECS countries. The 
OECS members have initiated a programme of fiscal reforms and consolidation to address the 
deteriorating fiscal situation. These reforms measures included replacing consumption tax with VAT, rationalizing fuel prices and broadening excise tax. In this connection, I would like to 
commend the OECS for initiating the fiscal reforms and encourage them to sustain the 
implementation of these reforms.  
5.28.  On Aid for Trade, it is considered to be an effective tool in driving economic growth through 
improving competitiveness, diversification of economic activities, increasing productivity and 
creating employment. I am glad to note that the CARICOM Regional Aid for Trade Strategy was 
developed in 2013 and that it identifies a number of priority projects with a sub-regional focus. Aid 
for Trade can also play an important role in helping the OECS-WTO Members accelerate the 
process of amending the existing or introducing new laws and legislation in order to implement 
and benefit from the WTO multilateral rules.  
5.29.  Finally, I wish to end by congratulating the delegation of the OECS for the successful 
conclusion of their third Trade Policy Review. I also wish them well in their process of economic 
development. 
JAMAICA 5.30.  My delegation is pleased to take the floor in this important Trade Policy Review of the OECS 
member States. I am particularly pleased to see Minister Baptiste here with us. I also want to 
thank the discussant Dr John Otachi Kakonge. I think that the comments that have been made by Minister Baptiste speak clearly on the complexity of the challenges that face the OECS countries 
but also the commitment that they have to regional integration as a vehicle for development and 
improvement of the livelihood and welfare of the citizens of the countries of the sub-region. 
5.31.  Minister Baptiste mentioned the Treaty of Chaguaramas which cornerstones our regional 
efforts to promote trade and economic development and our overall cooperation for the 
betterment of the conditions of life in the region. I wish to underline the appeal that Minister Baptiste has made for Members to understand the special circumstances of the OECS countries. The commitment of the region to the multilateral trading system is not in doubt. Indeed, the 
systemic contribution that the OECS members continue to make is strong. The engagement in our 
practices within the resources available to the OE CS has been a source of strengthening for the WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  WTO and the perspective that have been brought in this TPRB would well be taken into account in 
terms of the forward agenda of the Organization.  
5.32.  As Ambassador of Jamaica at the WTO, I stand in solidarity with the OECS. We underline the 
appeal made for deeper commitment, for support and cooperation, to advance specific 
programmes that have been identified as being im portant to the trade and development agenda of 
the OECS and call upon Members not to see the TPRB just as a Review but also as a foundation on which we can work our engagement in the multilateral trading system cooperatively together. I 
know that, for example, the TPRB proceedings provid e part of the body of reference that investors 
and policy-makers use in relation to countries. We have paid very careful attention both to the Report of the Secretariat and the Report of th e OECS members and to the proceedings because 
when they are put into the record they form part of the body of review for a country that is being 
targeted for investment or trade relations.  
5.33.  In this regard, I want to commend Madam Chair and the Secretariat for the consistently 
good work that is done in preparing and compil ing these reports recognizing the important place 
they take in a country's record for reference an d development. More importantly, it gives the 
context on which we can look to the future in terms of the engagement of the Members in the multilateral trading system and the WTO process. I would like to once again thank Minister 
Baptiste for his focused and clear exchange with us this morning. 
UNITED
 STATES 
5.34.  I will be very brief and I will begin by saying that I join the sentiments of the distinguished 
Ambassador from Jamaica in regards to the importance of the record that is created by these trade 
policies reviews and, in that regard, the United States wishes to thank the representatives of the 
OECS in each member State for their active engage ment in this process as well as for the written 
answers to questions that we submitted.  
HAÏTI 
5.35.  The Haitian delegation would like to join previous speakers in congratulating 
the OECS Members on the review of their trade policies. As a member of CARICOM, Haiti supports 
the efforts made by the OECS in spite of the difficulties facing its members. The Haitian delegation 
encourages the WTO Secretariat and Members which are in a position to do so, to provide all the necessary support to the OECS-Members, so as to overcome the challenges identified in the review of their trade policies and promote their own development. 
EUROPEAN
 UNION 
5.36.  The EU would just like to thank the delegations from the OECS-WTO Members for the replies 
to the EU's advanced questions, as well as for the information received this morning. We do not 
have any follow-up questions and we would like to thank the OECS members for their constructive 
participation in this TPR. The EU as a major supporter and donor of the Caribbean integration looks forward to continue working with the OECS count ries both in the context of our CARIFORUM-EU 
EPA as well as in this multilateral forum. WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  6  CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON 
6.1.  The third Trade Policy Review of the OECS -WTO Members has provided an excellent 
opportunity to improve our understanding of  their trade and investment policies.  
6.2.  I would like to thank the Honourable Mr Alva Baptiste, Minister for External Affairs, 
International Trade and Civil Aviation of St. Lucia; H.E. Dr Patrick Antoine, Ambassador and 
Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organization, and the whole OECS 
delegation for their open, frank, and constructive engagement throughout this exercise.  
6.3.  I would also like to thank H.E. Dr John Otachi Kakonge, Ambassador of Kenya to the WTO for 
his insightful remarks as discussant. OECS-WTO Members' written answers to most of the over 160 advance written questions have been well appreciated by Members and we look forward to answers to additional questions, no later than one month after this meeting. 
6.4.  Members were cognizant of the fact that the OECS-WTO Members have a narrow economic 
base, are highly reliant on imports and are frequently affected by natural disasters, especially hurricanes. All these factors make their economies particularly vulnerable to exogenous shocks. 
Members commended the OECS-WTO Members on their prudent macroeconomic policies in the 
aftermath of the global financial crisis, including their fiscal consolidation and debt restructuring programmes, the streamlining of their taxation sy stems, and the introduction of Value Added Tax. 
These measures have resulted in a tentative recovery, and in the decline of fiscal deficits and the 
stock of public debt.  
6.5.  Members praised the OECS-WTO Members' strong support for the multilateral trading system 
and the role they have in the DDA negotiations. Their participation in the Trade Facilitation 
Negotiations was particularly appreciated. Members also praised the OECS-WTO Members open 
investment regime. However, certain Members stated  that more was needed in terms of ease of 
doing business to attract foreign investment. 
6.6.  Members welcomed the signing of the revised Treaty of Basseterre and the subsequent 
establishment of the OECS Economic Union, which allows for the free movement of people, goods and capital across the OECS region. This would serve as a model of economic and financial 
integration, which could result in sustained economic growth. However, concerns were expressed 
with respect to the implementation of the treaty as  legislation to this effect is yet to be put in 
place.  
6.7.  Certain Members also noted that full implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic 
Partnership Agreement would require legislation ch anges that could facilitate the implementation 
by OECS-WTO Members of WTO commitments in areas where they are lagging. 
6.8.  The OECS-WTO Members were commended for the openness of their economies and for 
having continued to pursue trade liberalization despite the challenges posed by the global 
economic crisis and the effects of natural disast ers. However, Members noted that most of them 
still applied customs service charges and other taxes on imports. Another area of concern was the 
continued use of import licences as these can be trade restrictive. OECS-WTO Members were also 
encouraged to harmonize their tariff schedules. 
6.9.  Members were appreciative of the fact that the OECS-WTO Members had started dismantling 
their export subsidy schemes and expressed thei r hope that these would be abolished by end 
2015, as required by WTO rules. Some Members no ted that although progress had been made, not 
all the issues identified during the previous Revi ew had been successfully addressed, including the 
adoption of legislation regarding competition policy and contingency measures, and compliance 
with notification requirements, particularly those pertaining to SPS. 
6.10.  The participation of a sizeable number of delegations in this meeting and the large number 
of questions posed during this Trade Policy Review  indicate the clear importance of the OECS-WTO 
Members as a trading partner. I hope, therefor e, that this review will help the OECS-WTO 
Members to reinforce their participation in the multilateral trading system. In this respect, I would wish to emphasize that it is important for the OECS-WTO Members to continue to implement the WT/TPR/M/299 • OECS-WTO Members 
 
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  legislative changes required to best harness the op portunities presented by the multilateral trading 
system and by the integration processes in which they participate.  
6.11.  Given the constraints faced by the OECS-WTO Members, the collaboration and technical 
assistance of other WTO Members in this matter would be most helpful.  
6.12.  In closing, I would like to thank the delega tion of the OECS-WTO Members, all the other 
delegations, the discussant and the Secretariat for this very successful third review of the trade 
policies of the OECS-WTO Members. We also thank the interpreters. We wish the OECS delegations 
a safe trip home.  
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