One concern is how far civil society organisations in the Greater Caribbean are equipped to participate effectively in these activities. At the civil society events, which were held in Spain, it is believed that there was just one representative from the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC), an umbrella NGO grouping from the insular Caribbean. The EU-LAC business forum held in Mexico last week is likely to have had limited attendance from the smaller countries in the region.

Business organisations in Central America and CARICOM are just beginning to organise themselves to influence the integration process and trade negotiations in their sub-regions. Last week the Central American Enterprise Council met to review their positions on the free trade negotiations with the United States. And in Jamaica Caribbean transnationals CEOs proposed an 11-point action plan to "fast-track" the Caricom Single Market and Economy and to insert the private sector into trade negotiations.

Another concern with the EU-LAC preparatory process is the absence of an institutional mechanism to implement the recommendations of NGOs, the business community and academics.

The Civil Society Meeting of 160 participants held on 17-19 May noted that little has been done to implement the Action Plan agreed on the first EU-LAC Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1999 and the 11 priorities set out at a follow-up meeting in Tuusula, Finland. The priorities, embodied in what is called the Rio Plan of Action, were for cooperation in human rights, the role of women, the environment and natural disasters, drug and arms trafficking, business forums, and education and research.

The civil society representatives also pointed out that Europe's development aid has fallen in recent years while Latin America and the Caribbean have seen an increase in poverty and inequality.

The Association of Caribbean States Secretariat has offered to play a part in the implementation of the Rio Plan of Action by facilitating the participation of the Greater Caribbean in cooperation projects. But an ACS delegation to Brussels was told that there is no specific funding provision in the EU aid budget for the implementation of projects in the Rio Plan. Moreover the EU-LAC Summit is structured on a multilateral basis and does not give a significant role to regional organisations.

This calls into question the ability of the Summit to make good on whatever commitments are made in the Madrid Action Plan. Good ideas are not lacking, and the EU-LAC Civil Society Forum came up with proposals on a resolution of the debt problem, development cooperation and on the need for association agreements to be extended to all sub-regions in Latin America and the Caribbean on the basis of differentiation and special treatment for vulnerable countries. Also, the point was made that integration processes need to go beyond market liberalization and provide for social justice, equity and environmental sustainability.

Putting these into practice is the real challenge; and the EU will need to be more coherent and pro-active in its Latin America and Caribbean policies if the Madrid Summit is to make a difference.

Professor Norman Girvan is Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States. The views expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Feedback can be sent to mail@acs-aec.org.

(ends)

April 26, 2002