Caribbean Trade Law and Development

Tag: CARICOM

  • World Bank Doing Business Report 2020: How did the Caribbean do?

    World Bank Doing Business Report 2020: How did the Caribbean do?

    Alicia Nicholls

    The World Bank has released its latest Doing Business Report (2020) – Sustaining the Pace of Reforms. With an overall rank of 71 out of 190 economies, Jamaica has retained its top spot as the English-speaking Caribbean’s easiest economy in which to do business, followed by St. Lucia which respectively has an overall rank of 93 out of 190 economies.

    Although several Caribbean countries were highlighted for reforms implemented in 2018/19, no Caribbean country ranks within the top 50 countries. This means that the region still has much catching up to do in terms of ease of doing business.

    Please see below the ranks of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries:

    Economy2020 Rank
    Jamaica71
    St. Lucia93
    Trinidad & Tobago105
    Dominica111
    The Bahamas119
    Barbados128
    St. Vincent & the Grenadines130
    Guyana134
    Belize135
    St. Kitts & Nevis139
    Grenada146
    Suriname162
    Haiti179

    Turning to the wider Caribbean, Puerto Rico is the easiest Caribbean country in which to do business with a rank of 65. The Dominican Republic ranked 115.

    Reforms and changes

    The following Caribbean countries were singled out for reforms made in improving business or changes which made business more difficult:

    EconomyArea of Reform (whether positive or negative)
    Antigua & BarbudaStarting a business (positive)
    BarbadosGetting electricity (positive)
    Registering property (negative)
    Trading across borders (positive)
    Enforcing contracts (positive)
    BelizeGetting Electricity (positive)
    Trading across borders (positive)
    GrenadaStarting a business (positive)
    GuyanaTrading across borders (negative)
    HaitiGetting credit (positive)
    JamaicaRegistering property (positive)
    Enforcing contract (positive)
    St Kitts & NevisGetting credit (positive)
    St Vincent & the grenadinesPaying taxes (positive)
    Trinidad & TobagoPaying taxes (positive)

    The international perspective

    Overall, the easiest economies in which to do business were New Zealand (1), Singapore (2), Hong Kong (3), Denmark (4) and South Korea (5). The most difficult were Libya (186), Yemen (187), Venezuela (188), Eritrea (189) and Somalia (190).

    The 10 top improvers in the 2020 report were Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Togo, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, China, India, and Nigeria, and accounted for one-fifth of all the reforms recorded globally.

    The full World Bank Doing Business Report 2020 may be accessed here.

    Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B., is an international trade and development consultant with a keen interest in sustainable development, international law and trade. You can also read more of her commentaries and follow her on Twitter @LicyLaw.

    DISCLAIMER: All views expressed herein are her personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of any institution or entity with which she may be affiliated from time to time.

  • CCJ First Advisory Opinion Hearing

    CCJ First Advisory Opinion Hearing

    Alicia Nicholls

    History is being made at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) which is currently hearing oral submissions in the first ever Advisory Opinion filed in the Court pursuant to Article 212 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC).

    Article 212 of the RTC empowers the CCJ with exclusive jurisdiction to deliver advisory opinions concerning the interpretation and application of the RTC. Advisory opinions can be delivered only at the request of the Member States parties to a dispute or the Community.

    The present request, which was filed by the CARICOM Secretariat, concerns two substantive issues:

    (1) whether a Member State can, pursuant to Article 27(4) of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, lawfully opt-out of a decision of the Conference of the Heads of Government taken under Article 46(4) concerning the expansion of classes of persons entitled to work and move freely in the Community.

    (2) whether the nationals of those Member States which opt-out of a decision under Article 27(4), can nevertheless derive the benefits of the decision.

    Day 1

    On Day 1, the Court heard, inter alia, from CARICOM’s General Counsel, Dr. Corlita Babb-Schaefer, as well as counsel from Barbados, Antigua & Barbuda, St. Kitts & Nevis, Grenada. Also appearing amicus was a team from the Faculty of Law, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus represented by Dean Dr. David Berry and law lecturers, Mrs. Nicole Foster and Mr. Westmin James. The live recording from Day 1 may be watched here.

    Day 2

    On Day 2 of the hearing the Court heard closing submissions. In closing, the Court promised to deliver its Advisory Opinion in a “reasonable time”. Day 2 of the hearing may be watched here.

    Alicia Nicholls, B.Sc., M.Sc., LL.B., is an international trade and development consultant with a keen interest in sustainable development, international law and trade. You can also read more of her commentaries and follow her on Twitter @LicyLaw.

    DISCLAIMER: All views expressed herein are her personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of any institution or entity with which she may be affiliated from time to time.

  • Caribbean Trade & Development Digest – October 13-19, 2019

    Caribbean Trade & Development Digest – October 13-19, 2019

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest for the weeks of October 13-19, 2019! We are happy to bring you the major trade and development headlines and analysis from across the Caribbean Region and the world from the past week.

    THE WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

    The EU and UK announced they had negotiated a new Brexit deal whose full text may be found here. The deal is yet to receive UK parliamentary approval and instead the UK House of Commons voted to delay Brexit again. PM Boris Johnson sent a letter to Brussels seeking a delay. However, the UK government will seek a meaningful vote on the deal tomorrow, Monday. Catch up on the latest Brexit developments here.

    REGIONAL NEWS

    Marriott Acquires Elegant Hotels in Barbados, Boosting All-Inclusive Offering

    Travel Market Report: Marriott has agreed to buy Elegant Hotels Group in a $130.1 million deal, as it looks to grow its all-inclusive portfolio in the Caribbean. Read more

    J’can Company B&D Gains From US-China Trade War – Grows Lobster Sales As Conch Ban Bites Into Income

    Jamaica Gleaner: With US$185 billion worth of duties being slapped on American exports to China in retaliation for US imposition of US$550 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, leading seafood exporter, Kingston-based B&D Trawling Limited is ramping up volumes of live and frozen lobster sales into that Asian market at a significantly lower tariff than its US competitors. Read more

    Caribbean Export signs three MOUs to support the Caribbean’s export growth

    Jamaica Observer: At the recently held 4th staging of the Cariforum-European Union (EU) Business Forum in Frankfurt, Germany; three memorandum of understandings (MOUs) were signed between the Caribbean Export Development Agency and key stakeholders in Europe. Read more

    Trinidad Tourism Ltd: Tourism sector set to grow in 2020

    LoopTT: For the new fiscal year 2019/2020, Tourism Trinidad Limited’s (TTL) is aiming to increase visitor arrivals to 380,000, a 7 percent increase on the previous year’s figures. Read more

    TSTT raises over $2.7 b on US roadshow

    Trinidad & Tobago Guardian: A US$400 mil­lion 10-year bond of­fered by the Telecom­mu­ni­ca­tions Ser­vices of Trinidad and To­ba­go (TSTT) has been “sig­nif­i­cant­ly over-sub­scribed” the T&T Guardian has learned. Read more

    Facilitation of business improving in Barbados

    Barbados Today: Following recent rounds of Social Partnership talks, the private sector says it is pleased with progress being made by Government to address the vexing issue of business facilitation. Read more

    OECS/ITC workshop proving a success

    Antigua Observer: Stakeholders involved in the ongoing regional business excellence seminar have voiced their pleasure with the developments, noting in particular, the shared business experiences and solutions. Read more

    Mastercard Enters Jamaica, Targets Unbanked

    Jamaica Gleaner: It’s been roughly a month since technology company Mastercard settled into its new office space in New Kingston, but discussions are already ongoing to have the company doubling users of electronic payment systems across Jamaica over the next three years. Read more

    Former Diplomat Cites ‘Corruption Of EDF Resources In Saint Lucia’ In Open Letter

    St Lucia Times: See full letter to the editor. Read more

    Business, Consumer Confidence in Jamaica Dips In Third Quarter

    Jamaica Gleaner: Business confidence dipped in the third quarter of 2019 as firms have second thoughts about their positive expectations for the economy over the next year. Read more

    Jamaica Lobbies US On Correspondent Banking Relationships

    Caribnews NY: Jamaica will continue to lobby the United States to take the lead in legitimizing licensed cannabis growers and processors in the correspondent banking relationships with US banks, Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, and Fisheries, Minister Audley Shaw, has said. Read more

    Caribbean countries looking to take advantage of ACP-EU accord

    Jamaica Observer: As the 79-member African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries negotiate a post-2020 relationship with the European Union (EU), culture is being presented as an untapped sector that can contribute to the further development of the region. Read more

    INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    China’s developing country status brings it few benefits in the WTO

    East Asia Forum: Whether China is a ‘developing’ or ‘developed’ country for the purposes of the World Trade Organization (WTO) matters a lot to US President Donald Trump. Trump ignited a new front in the US–China trade war in July 2019 by tweeting that the world’s richest nations are masquerading as developing countries to get special treatment. Read more

    UK’s independent seat at WTO to include Channel Islands

    Gov.uk: The UK has today (Thursday 17 October) notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) that it will extend its WTO membership to include the Channel Islands. Read more

    Growing the Fiji Australia trade

    FBCNews: “For a small open economy like Fiji, our government agencies and policies aim to be pro-enterprise and pro-innovation. We are committed to working with our businesses to achieve these outcomes.” These were the remarks by the Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism Premila Kumar, while speaking at the 25th Australia-Fiji Business Council Forum in Brisbane last week. Read more

    RCEP explained: The 16-country free-trade agreement that India may sign

    The News Minute: While countries have been negotiating since 2013, India has also been facing opposition from multiple domestic industries. Read more

    What’s Really in the Trade Deal Trump Announced With China

    New York Times: The partial trade deal hasn’t been signed and some details still have to be negotiated, but it could help some American firms. Read more

    South Africa gets behind China’s defence of multilateral trade

    South China Morning Post: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the two countries should work together to oppose protectionism. Read more

    Russia Steps Up Its Game in Africa

    Moscow Times: The inaugural Russia-Africa summit shows Putin’s growing influence on the continent. Read more

    STRAIGHT FROM THE WTO

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  • Caribbean Trade & Development Digest – October 6-12, 2019

    Caribbean Trade & Development Digest – October 6-12, 2019

    Welcome to the Caribbean Trade & Development News Digest for the weeks of October 6-12, 2019! We are happy to bring you the major trade and development headlines and analysis from across the Caribbean Region and the world from the past week.

    THE WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS

    The WTO held its annual Public Forum. This year’s theme was ‘Trading Forward: Adapting to a Changing World’. The 2019 World Trade Report was also released.

    Commonwealth Trade Ministers met on October 10 and have called on world leaders to reject protectionism and reform the WTO. The communique may be read here.

    With just two weeks to go before the UK’s scheduled departure from the EU, Brexit talks between the UK and EU remain at a stalemate despite a weekend of intense negotiations. Read more

    REGIONAL NEWS

    EU slaps 5-year tariff on Trinidad & Tobago fertilisers

    Newsday: This follows a European Commission (EC) final ruling on October 8, based on a complaint by Fertilizers Europe in June last year, claiming TT, Russia and the US were dumping product, resulting in material injury to European producers. Read more

    Antigua drops demand for LIAT shares

    Barbados Today: In an abrupt move, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has declared that he has told Prime Minister Mia Mottley that Antigua and Barbuda has found $40 million to pump in LIAT and no longer wants to buy Barbados’ shares in the cash-strapped carrier, Antigua Newsroom has reported. Read more

    Caribbean trade ministers want end to protectionist policies, reform of WTO

    Jamaica Observer: Caribbean Community (Caricom) trade ministers have joined their counterparts from the Commonwealth in calling for an end to trade protectionism and an urgent reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which sets the global rules for international trade. Read more

    Barbados Car imports feel ASYCUDA pinch

    Barbados Today: The inability to clear vehicles at the Bridgetown Port as a result of issues with the ASYCUDA World system is threatening to put the brakes on Barbados’ largest importer of electric vehicles. Read more

    Drought lands “major blow,” but CARICOM and Belize sugar will be protected

    Breaking Belize News: Last week key sectors of agriculture and aquaculture along with trade from across the Caribbean met in Belize simultaneously for a full week. Read more

    CARICOM countries on alert for major diseases affecting pigs and bananas

    Breaking Belize News: A pair of deadly diseases poses imminent risk to two key industries, according to the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), which wrapped up its meeting in Belize on Friday. Read more

    Health Minister Highlights Negative Effects Of Illicit Trade In Tobacco Products

    JIS: Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says the growing illicit trade in tobacco products is a clear and present danger to public health in the Caribbean and the rest of the world. Read more

    Jamaica Competitiveness Ranking Dips

    Jamaica Gleaner: Jamaica, which suffers from high crime and lack of export-led growth, slipped by one spot in competitive rankings, according to the Global Competitiveness Report 2019, published this week by World Economic Forum, or Weforum. Read more

    TTCSI welcomes 2020 Budget incentives for export businesses

    LoopTT: Government’s prioritisation of the expansion of exports has found favour with the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI). Read more


    INTERNATIONAL NEWS

    RCEP trade ministers’ talks end in impasse

    Financial Express: No joint statement will be issued, as certain key issues are yet to be resolved, even after two days of intense negotiations on October 11 and 12, according to one of the sources. Read more

    Staying out of RCEP trading bloc will only isolate India: Piyush Goyal

    Livemint: In a clear indication of India’s intentions ahead of the final ministerial meeting of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) grouping on Saturday, trade minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday defended the free trade agreement among the 16 economies, holding that India cannot remain isolated in a globalized world. Read more

    Asean nations to exchange trade documents via ASW by year-end

    Business Mirror: The Philippines and seven other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will exchange customs and trade-related documents over a platform that is intended to facilitate cargo clearance and economic integration of Asean countries by year-end. Read more

    US-China trade deal: What it is, is not and may become

    The Hill: The U.S.-China trade agreement outlined on Friday is an act of cooperative rivalry. It brings immediate value to both sides while deferring strategic questions about future relations between the world’s two superpowers. Read more

    WTO is in crisis and Europe Must Step Up

    Bloomberg: The World Trade Organization is in crisis and needs reform to play its global role effectively, according to the trade minister of Finland, which currently holds the rotating European Union presidency. Read more

    International Chamber of Commerce issues recommendations to reform global trade

    ICC: Recognising the challenges, criticism and unprecedented pressure faced by the World Trade Organization (WTO) system, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has unveiled a groundbreaking set of recommendations to guide the future of international trade. Read more

    WTO urges quick ban on harmful fisheries subsidies

    France24: The World Trade Organization on Tuesday called for countries to speed up talks aimed at hammering out an agreement on banning harmful fisheries subsidies. Read more

    Asia-Pacific needs the WTO to stay relevant in an increasingly uncertain world

    South China Morning Post: To walk along the autumn shoreline of Lake Geneva to the headquarters of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), kicking fallen conkers from horse chestnut trees, is to occupy a steady, constant world light years away from the conflicts and challenges addressed by the many United Nations institutions settled there for the past 70 years. Read more

    UK Trade minister Truss backs WTO reform before Brexit

    Euronews: British trade secretary Liz Truss said she opposed protectionism but backed U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls to reform the World Trade Organization (WTO). Read more

    STRAIGHT FROM THE WTO

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