RESTRICTED  
  
G/C/M/121  
 
27 February 2015  
(15-1181)  Page: 1/3  
Council for Trade in Goods    
 
 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF TH E COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS 
25 NOVEMBER 2014 
CHAIRPERSON: H.E. MR. ATANAS ATANASSOV PAPARIZOV (BULGARIA) 
The meeting of the Council for Trade in Goods (CTG, or the Council) was convened by 
Airgram WTO/AIR/4393; the proposed agenda for the meeting was circulated in document G/C/W/709. The meeting proceeded on the basis of the following agenda. 
 
1   UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – REQUEST FOR A WAIVER – CARIBBEAN 
BASIN ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT (CBERA AS AMENDED) ................................................ 1
 
2   OTHER ISSUES ............................................................................................................ 3  
 
1  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – REQUEST FOR A WAIVER – CARIBBEAN BASIN ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT (CBERA AS AMENDED) 
1.1.  The Chairperson informed delegations that, in a communication dated 7 November 2014, the 
delegation of the United States of America had requested the Secretariat to convene a meeting of 
the Council in order to consider a waiver request and a draft waiver decision in respect of the 
Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA, as amended) and contained in 
document G/C/W/708. 
1.2.  The delegate of the United States of America thanked the Chair and Members for this 
meeting, whose sole agenda item was a request for a waiver to permit the United States to 
provide duty-free treatment to eligible products  from Caribbean and Central American countries 
and territories. She said that US trade preferences for the Central American and Caribbean region were initially launched in 1983 by the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) and that, 
since its implementation, it had generated important benefits for beneficiary countries and 
territories. The expansion of the benefits through enactment of subsequent legislation represented 
an important affirmation of the ongoing US commitment to economic development in the 
Caribbean basin by expanding duty-free access to US markets for eligible goods. 
1.3.  On 11 July 2011 her delegation submitted to the General Council (GC) its annual report on 
the operation of the programme, which currently benefitted 16 countries and territories.
1 She 
added that, since the last waiver was granted in 2009, various developments had taken place, 
such as the US response, together with that of other countries, to the damages caused by the 
earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010. That earthquake caused a disaster inside and around Port-au-Prince, killing more than 230,000 people, displacing more than 1.5 million people, 
and affecting more than 3 million people. An impo rtant element of the overall recovery strategy 
was job creation through the HELP Act, which expanded preferences for apparel and established new preferences for certain non-apparel textile goods from Haiti. The HELP Act had also extended 
other trade preferences under the CBERA by ten additional years, or up to 30 September 2020. 
1.4.  Another development was the revised Trade and Investment Framework Agreement signed in 
May 2013 between her country and the Caribbean Community–CARICOM–which provided a forum 
for bilateral talks to enhance trade and investment and discuss trade issues. Additionally, 
                                               
1 Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barb ados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, 
Granada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, and 
Trinidad and Tobago. G/C/M/121 
 
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  CBERA had helped beneficiary countries to diversify their exports and, on a region-wide basis, such 
export diversification had led to a more balanced production and export base which, in turn, had reduced the region's vulnerability to fluctuations for traditional products. 
1.5.  She said that, due to a decline in petroleum imports, US imports under the CBERA had also 
declined from 3.1 billion in 2012 to 2.4 billion in 2013, and that the value of US imports of textile 
and apparel under CBERA was 345 million in 2013 compared to 429 million in 2012. All the detailed information could be found in the July report to the GC. 
1.6.  Her country was committed to working in partnership with its neighbours in the Caribbean 
basin to improve livelihoods and expand economic opportunities. In this effort, the Caribbean basin countries had undertaken to strengthen their policy orientation, to promote economic growth, and to diversify exports. The CBERA provided a vital contribution to the efforts in this partnership by 
creating opportunities to expand trade between the United States and beneficiary countries, thus 
promoting economic opportunity and growth in the region. 
1.7.  The delegate of Saint Lucia, on behalf of the CARICOM, thanked the United States for having 
requested an extension to the waiver on CBERA, as amended, up to 31 December 2019. She said 
that instruments such as the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act, which enhanced the CBERA, and the Haitian-specific acts, which covered at present trade cooperation between CARICOM and 
the United States, provided for non-reciprocal duty-free market access for nearly all goods from 
beneficiary countries within CARICOM. Thanks to these programmes the US was CARICOM's most important trading partner, both in terms of proxim ity and volume of trade. Therefore, the request 
for an extension to CBERA showed the US commitment to work with the Caribbean region to 
develop a strategy that would reinforce econom ic growth, security, and improvements in the 
region's investment climate. CARICOM expected Members to consider this request favourably. 
1.8.  The delegate of Jamaica supported the prev ious statement and thanked the United States for 
its request to renew the CBERA waiver. Document G/C/W/708 provided a clear and concise 
description and justification for the request, the aim of which was to extend and expand CBERA's 
scope. CBERA remained an important instrument in Jamaica's and the Caribbean's bilateral trade 
relations with the US. Indeed, a report from the US International Trade Commission, published in 
September 2013, found that, while Jamaica's total exports to the United States had fallen by 9.6% over the period 2011-2012, exports under CBERA ha d grown by 15.1% over the same period. This 
highlighted the important role played by prefer ential arrangements such as CBERA in enabling 
greater participation and deeper integration in the global trade and economic system, especially 
for small and vulnerable economies like those of Jamaica and the other beneficiary countries of the CBERA. 
1.9.  She underscored the importance given by Jamaican exporters to their ability to access the 
US market; in this vein, local initiatives continued to be undertaken by the Jamaican private sector to maximize the benefits and opportunities of CBERA. This was especially evident in the 
programmes designed to enhance the competitiveness of the products being exported to the 
United States under the CBERA, and through the advice given to small and medium-sized Jamaican enterprises on how to make better use of the trade benefits of the programme. Jamaica looked forward to continuing its positive engagement with the United States so as to deepen the 
bilateral trade relations and reach the objectives of CBERA. CBERA would ensure predictability and 
legal certainty for Jamaican investors, and her delegation therefore supported the request and 
expected a positive outcome. 
1.10.  The delegate of the European Union thanked the United States for its request; however, due 
to its late submission, on 19 November 2014, he regretted not to be in a position to support it. His 
authorities required more time to fully assess the request and to obtain further clarification from 
the United States. 
1.11.  The Chairperson thanked delegations for their statements and indicated that the Council 
would revert to this issue at its next meeting, in March 2015. He encouraged interested 
delegations to discuss this issue bilaterally with the United States with a view to reaching a 
mutually satisfactory solution. He invited the Council to take note of the statements made and the 
information provided. G/C/M/121 
 
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  1.12.  The Council so agreed. 
2  OTHER ISSUES 
2.1.  Before concluding the meeting, the Chairp erson informed delegations that the Annual Report 
of this Council to the General Council would be u pdated in light of the present meeting. He also 
reminded delegations that the first meeting of the CTG in 2015 was scheduled to take place on 
Thursday, 26 March, in the afternoon. The Agenda would close on Friday, 13 March 2015. 
2.2.  The meeting was closed. 
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