Monitoring the implementation and results of the Cariforum-EU EPA : Annex B: Background technical report

An important aspect of the CARIFORUM‑EU Economic Partnership Agreement (hereafter, CFEU EPA) is its provisions for extensive trade liberalisation between the EU (including the French outermost territories in the Caribbean, the French Caribbean Outermost Regions (FCORs)) and the CARIFORUM partner countries. Even before the CF‑EU EPA, a wide range of trade preferences were in place between some of these countries and the EU, a mix of preferential tariffs and quotas. As regards trade, the CF‑EU EPA seeks to modernise and unify the diverse provisions that operated prior to 2008, largely through a DFQF (duty free, quota free) trade regime, while providing for greater reciprocity. The CF‑EU EPA also has a developmental component that provides for financial and non‑financial support for implementation of the agreement. Financial support is provided mainly through the European Development Fund (EDF) (such as through the EDF 10 and the new EDF 11 programmes). Assistance focused on efforts to build the needed institutions, to improve competitiveness, and to support restructuring and modernisation plans (e.g. in the sugar and banana industries in some countries as well as in such areas as customs administration).