Source: http://www.intracen.org/BB-2012-06-18-Business-advocacy-wins-markets-in-Barbados---Part-6/
Timestamp: 2017-02-28 06:07:35
Document Index: 289175429

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 6', 'art 6', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 4', 'art 5']

BB 2012-06-18 Business advocacy wins markets in Barbados - Part 6
Business advocacy wins markets in BarbadosTourism services liberalization under the Caribbean-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement: Part 6
The EPA negotiations represented an opportunity for service suppliers in Barbados and the Caribbean to reap benefits not achieved in the WTO, including: - Creating meaningful, innovative, market-opening rules for the sector; - Establishing a common understanding on issues facing the sector, such as in the areas of standards and anti-competitive practices; - Creating mechanisms to make it easier for EU investors to choose the Caribbean; - Strengthening the capacity of CARIFORUM operators to increase tourism exports and the industry’s competitiveness. The EPA’s treatment of tourism services is notable also for its development cooperation provisions in areas such as capacity building for environmental management, developing Internet-based marketing strategies for small- and medium-sized tourism enterprises, as well as upgrading national accounts systems to introduce tourism satellite accounts at the regional and local level. The EPA’s tourism provisions built upon and incorporated elements of proposals on tourism made in the Doha Round of trade negotiations, including those sponsored by the Dominican Republic and other WTO Members in 2000 and 2001. This illustrates the iterative nature of the relationship between multilateral and regional trade initiatives. The region’s positions on international trade in tourism services coalesced through preparatory consultations across CARIFORUM Member States and through direct input from the region’s tourism and hotel associations and other key stakeholders. CARIFORUM countries successfully advanced their position in the negotiations, leading to adopting groundbreaking provisions on tourism in the EPA and creating a common understanding on tourism-related disciplines among almost a third of the WTO membership. The success of the Barbados tourism stakeholders’ campaign to secure meaningful new market access opportunities in the EU market can be attributed to the engagement of the private sector in the negotiations process to secure its stated market access aims. Here, well-organized business associations articulated their collective interests; the Barbadian Government endorsed greater public-private collaboration and was open to the views of the private sector; and negotiators were skilled in pursuing the interests of private operators. This latter point should not be underestimated. The competence of the region’s negotiators was a major element in the securing of these advances. The CRNM proved to be an adept intermediary between the region’s private sector and the EU negotiators. The CRNM has proven to be a unifying thread in the tapestry of the Barbados tourism success story. It has participated in regional-national collaboration at the industry level by partnering with the CHTA and Caribbean Tourism Organization to sensitize national business support organizations. In this regard, the CRNM provided the analytical and conceptual framework within which the other actors identified their interests, assessed their options and formulated their positions. Major tasks ahead for private operators in Barbados are to ensure that all stakeholders recognize the new and enhanced market access opportunities flowing from the EPA and strategically position themselves to tap into newly opened EU markets. Two parallel initiatives, one by the private sector and another from the Government, suggest that such a process is underway. On the private sector side, the CHTA is preparing a guide for tourism industry stakeholders explaining in user-friendly terms how they can benefit from the EPA and from the liberalization commitments undertaken by CARIFORUM governments. The CHTA is also seeking funding to finance a road show to promote the market access gains realized under the EPA and the opportunities for targeted development assistance and technical support. The Government is moving forward with plans to establish an EPA Implementation Unit that will support all industries in benefiting from the development assistance provided under the EPA. This case study illustrates that the private sector in developing countries, including in small and vulnerable economies, can reap significant rewards from adopting a proactive approach to – and early engagement in – trade negotiations. Benefits can be derived from influencing the nature and substantive content of agreed provisions and the level of commitments undertaken by negotiating partners.
- Business advocacy wins markets in Barbados: Part 1- Business advocacy wins markets in Barbados: Part 2- Business advocacy wins markets in Barbados: Part 3- Business advocacy wins markets in Barbados: Part 4- Business advocacy wins markets in Barbados: Part 5