Brussels, 07/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson travelled to Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana this week, his first visit to an ACP region. In Guyana, he said: 'I have announced my decision to put the Economic Partnership Agreement process under continuing review so as to make sure that the process really does put development first.' The EU is in the process of negotiating an EPA with the 16 Caribbean ACP states. Peter Mandelson told reporters in Georgetown (Guyana): 'I have decided to establish a mechanism to monitor the roll out of our development and trade related assistance to check continuously whether or not it is delivering the right results to build up local economic capacity, and that the process really does constitute the true economic partnership I insist on for these agreements.' Mandelson also explained that the EU was prepared to work in conjunction with the Caribbean ACP states to foster development in the multilateral world trade negotiations under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (the Doha Round).
Commissioner Peter Mandelson pledged his support for a robust action plan from the EU in favour of ACP sugar producers affected by the future reform of the EU's sugar regime. He said: 'I have heard the concerns on the pace and the extent of sugar reform in the EU. I take this extremely seriously. Sugar reform in the EU is necessary and unavoidable. But it requires from us two things vis-à-vis ACP producers: that we maintain a preferential access for their imports, and that we accompany this with a robust local adaptation process. We will put forward development assistance measures, to increase the competitiveness of the industry in sugar producing countries or to support its diversification. A dialogue with the ACP has to take place as soon as possible, to define these measures. There can be no delay. I want the fullest possible understanding and agreed measures in place in 2005, prior to the Hong Kong ministerial meeting in December.' (The WTO summit in Hong Kong.) The Commissioner added: 'I have stressed with my colleagues here that Caribbean countries - within the ACP and G90 groups - have a key role to play.'