Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

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| EVALUATION ROADMAP | |
| Title of the evaluation | Evaluation of the CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement |
| Lead DG – responsible unit – AP Number | Directorate-General for Trade, Unit D2, Economic Partnership Agreements, Africa, Caribbean and Pacific, Overseas Countries and Territories |
| Indicative Planning  (planned start date and completion date) | Start Date: Q1 2019  Completion Date: Q1 2020 |
| The Roadmap is provided for information purposes only. It does not prejudge the final decision of the Commission on whether this initiative will be pursued or on its final content. All elements of the initiative described by the document, including its timing, are subject to change. | |
| A. Context, Purpose and Scope of the evaluation | |
| Context | |
| The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and 14 Member States of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) has been provisionally applied since 2008. [1](#footnote2)  The EU-CARIFORUM (CF) EPA covers provisions on trade in goods, but also in services, as well as provisions on trade-related issues (including competition, innovation and intellectual property, transparency in public procurement and trade and sustainable development). Development cooperation is an integral part of the agreement.    The EU-CF EPA aims to promote trade and investment between the two regions, and as a result to enhance sustainable development and contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction. The EPA also aims to strengthen regional economic integration, economic cooperation and good governance among CARIFORUM states and seeks to increase their participation in the global economy.    Parties of the agreement have a legal requirement to evaluate the EPA at five-yearly intervals. The proposed evaluation for 2019/2020 follows the first review of the agreement conducted in 2014/2015 (the external study on which the review was based can be found online). | |
| Purpose and Scope | |
| The purpose of the evaluation is to determine the extent to which the EPA has contributed to sustainable development in CARIFORUM states. Conducted 10 years after the start of implementation, the evaluation will assess the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and impact of the agreement. In consequence, the evaluation will enable the Parties of the agreement to better understand the progress made and the challenges remaining in the operation of the EPA.    The results of the evaluation will be discussed in the EPA's Trade and Development Committee and the Joint Council. The evaluation and the review will enable parties to jointly take decisions on how to move forward to ensure the EPA's long term contribution to sustainable development in the Caribbean.        Thematically, the evaluation covers all parts of the EPA. However, a special focus will be placed on the following areas: Trade in Goods and Services, Investment, Private Sector Development, Agriculture and Development Cooperation. The evaluation will assess economic, social (including gender), labour rights and environmental effects of the various elements of the agreement.    In terms of the geographical scope, the operation of the agreement, as well as use, knowledge and awareness of the EPA will be assessed across all CARIFORUM states, the EU and EU Member States. For outcome and impact on issues of sustainable development the main focus is on the CARIFORUM States. The evaluation will also analyse effects on the EU's outermost regions (OR) in the Caribbean, and consider effects on Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) to the extent possible.    The evaluation will be carried out in 2019/2020. The evaluation will assess the whole period since the entry into force of the agreement, taking into account the data already available from the previous external study (online). | |
| B. Better Regulation | |
| Consultation strategy | |
| The objective of the consultations is to hear concrete examples, evidence and experiences that can complement and underpin the economic modelling. The aim is to gather material that will illustrate particular opportunities and challenges resulting from the EPA. The consultations represent a chance to hear from all concerned stakeholders where we need to focus our attention and where more evidence and research is needed. A detailed consultation strategy will be prepared and a number of consultation activities will be undertaken.    The main stakeholders identified are as follows:  ·On EU side: Member State national administrations including their development support agencies, the EU Delegations in CARIFORUM States, EU Chambers of Commerce, business associations, labour unions and civil society, including academia, and the general public;  ·On CARIFORUM side: the CARICOM Secretariat, including the CARIFORUM Directorate and the EPA implementation Unit, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Secretariat, the Caribbean Export Development Agency and other regional organisations; national governments and national investment promotion agencies; the business community, labour unions and civil society representatives, including academia.     The consultations activities will include the following:  ·A series of interviews, roundtables or workshops gathering relevant actors from public sector, business, and civil society, at the regional level and in a sub-set of CARIFORUM and EU Member States;  ·A 12-week online public consultation will be launched in spring 2019, accessible via the the Commission's central public consultations page. The questionnaire will be conducted in English, French, German and Spanish, while replies can be made in any of the 24 official EU languages.  ·Interviews with SMEs in selected sectors in CARIFORUM states, to capture their particular experiences.    A synopsis report summarising the results of the consultation activities will be published on the consultation website once all consultation activities are closed. | |
| Data collection and methodology | |
| In terms of data and methodology, the evaluation will build on the previous external study, as well as on research published by third-parties since then.    An external study will be commissioned as input into the evaluation. The selected contractor will employ a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. An appropriate quantitative model will be developed to estimate outcomes and impact of the EPA, using macro- and/ micro-economic data.    Most data needed for the evaluation is available from EUROSTAT and COMTRADE, as well as other databases. Gaps may remain with regard to some countries and specific topics. Gathering company-level data in the CARIFORUM member states will enable a better analysis of impact at micro-level. Qualitative data will be gathered through consultations, workshops, surveys and interviews.    Case studies will respond to gaps in economic data availability and help to make sense of the results of the quantitative analysis. Case studies for selected sectors, products, groups of stakeholders or trade topics will provide an in-depth look at economic, social and environmental impacts and serve to identify enablers and bottlenecks towards achieving the objectives of the EPA. | |

:   [(1)](#footnoteref2)

    The EU-CARIFORUM EPA has been negotiated with 15 countries in the Caribbean Region (all Member States of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM). All except Haiti apply the EPA provisionally. The CARIFORUM Member States are: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

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