CARICOM-wide in-person consultations on Member States’ readiness for tariff-liberalisation negotiations with external partners have concluded, ending a process that involved more than 400 stakeholders across 12 countries.
The exercise, which started in December 2023, covered 12 participants in the CARICOM Single Market: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The findings will feed into the wider CARICOM evaluation of Member States’ preparedness for future trade negotiations, as part of an initiative to support the development of informed, data-driven national and regional negotiating positions.
Director of External Trade, CARICOM Single Market and Trade, Joel Richards, said the assessment will put Member States on firmer ground when they sit down with external partners.
“The assessment of the readiness of CARICOM Member States to engage in future trade negotiations is both critical and timely, particularly given the mandate from the Heads of Government for the Community to exploit opportunities for market diversification, including with new and emerging trade partners,” Richards said. “It also takes into account particular sensitivities from both the public and private sectors thus allowing for an even more inclusive, rich and diverse approach to future trade negotiations.”
The final in-person consultation was held in Antigua and Barbuda on 16 September 2026, where the CARICOM Secretariat met some 25 public and private sector stakeholders.
Discussions assessed the country’s readiness for further tariff-liberalisation negotiations, covering national trade interests, competitiveness, imports and exports, market access opportunities and the potential challenges of liberalising further.
Participants stressed that CARICOM’s negotiating positions must be grounded in economic realities. They emphasised the importance of accurate information and called for meaningful consultation with businesses that produce, import and distribute goods.
The stakeholders also expressed strong interest in ensuring Antigua and Barbuda’s priorities are adequately reflected in CARICOM’s external trade agenda. They underscored the importance of ongoing dialogue between policymakers and the private sector to identify offensive and defensive trade interests, and to improve the quality of information available to negotiators.
A preliminary update on the assessment will be presented to the 63rd Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) in November, with a final to be presented to the 64th COTED in the first half of 2027 for endorsement.
Source: Antigua News Room CARICOM Reviews Antigua and Barbuda’s Readiness for Future Trade Deals.