(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Representatives of CARIFORUM Member States and Secretary-General, His Excellency Edwin Carrington participated in the Inaugural meeting of the Joint CARIFORUM-EU Council which took place on Monday just ahead of the Sixth Summit of the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean at the IFEMA Conference Centre in Madrid, Spain.

The EU was represented by a large number of member countries and senior officials of the Commission including Commissioner of Trade, Mr Karel de Gucht; Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Sra Soraya Rodriguez and the Secretary of State for Trade, Spain, Sra Silvia Iranzo Gutiérrez,.

Described as a historic moment by the Secretary-General, the Meeting adopted Rules of Procedure that would establish the framework of the conduct of mechanisms established under the recently signed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States (CARIFORUM) and the European Union (EU).

Chaired jointly by the Honourable Maxine McClean, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados and Chair of CARIFORUM and Sra Iranzo Gutiérrez, the meeting agreed to the adoption of Rules of Procedure in several areas including the Joint CARIFORUM-EU Council, the CARIFORUM-EU Trade and Development Committee; Special Committees set up under the EPA, and Rules of Procedure for Dispute Settlement and Code of Conduct for Arbitrators and Mediators under the EPA.

The Meeting also endorsed the proposal for Minister McClean to serve as CARIFORUM’s “High Representative,” to the European Commission as allowed for under Article 228 (2) of the EPA and in accordance with Article 1(2) of the Rules of Procedure. Minister McClean will serve until December 2011.

In the exchange of views which followed the adoption, Sra Iranzo Gutiérrez, reiterated the commitment of the European Union to provide approximately 1.2 billion Euros for Haiti’s reconstruction.

Noting that the successful implementation of the EPA was integral to sustainable development within the Caribbean, Senora Iranzo Gutiérrez, impressed upon the CARIFORUM Members, the urgent need to redouble their efforts in the implementation process, adding that it was a solid platform for job creation within the Caribbean Region.

The CARIFORUM Chair thanked those who fashioned the Text of the Rules of Procedure, acknowledged the provisions under the already signed 10Th EDF programme and expressed her hope that the “promised benefits” of the Agreement will be realised. - 30 -

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org