Negotiating a Partial Scope Agreement

Mr. Lawrence Placide has been the Director the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber’s the International Trade Negotiations Unit for the past eight years.  His involvement in international trade at a professional level spans more than two decades and he has been instrumental in the shaping of the country’s trade policy.

Q1:      Larry, we understand that there has been some talk about a Trade Agreement between Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala.   Could you please elaborate?

LP:       Yes, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has committed to negotiate a Partial Scope Agreement with Guatemala.  Preparations are underway at the moment and we understand that the first negotiation round could be held before the end of August 2011.

 

Q2: What will your involvement be and by extension that of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber in these negotiations?

LP:       As we always try to do, we will be involved in the preparation for the agreement.  We will be consulting our members on their export interests as well as their defensive interests.  We will be interacting with the relevant Ministries to ensure that these positions are adequately represented and understood in the interest of Trinidad and Tobago.  We will be at the negotiations as well.

 

Q3: You have been, for the last eight years an active member of the College of Negotiators under the Office of Trade Negotiations, formerly known as the Regional Negotiating Machinery.  Are you negotiating as part of the College for this agreement?

LP:       Acutally, no.  The College of Negotiators of which I am a member is constituted at the moment wholly for the negotiation of the Trade and Development Agreement with Canada.  So for these negotiations with Guatemala, I will be in my customary role as negotiator on behalf of the Private Sector, defending members’ interests.

 

Q4:      What are some of the challenges you have faced in representing the Private Sector in these negotiations?

LP:       The primary challenge has to do with receiving timely input from the members. If we receive input on a timely basis, we can then analyse it, package it and work to see it integrated into the negotiations. If we don’t, some element of those three functions is bound to suffer.

 

Q5:      What is required from the Private Sector of T&T?  In other words is there an additional role of the Private Sector in these negotiations?

LP:       Successive governments have recognised the importance of these trade negotiations and continue to facilitate us.  We therefore, as Private Sector representatives, need to play our part to contribute positively to the negotiation outcome, specifically in terms of members’ interests, achieving members’ goals and moreso, helping Government negotiate effectively on our behalf.

 

Q6:      What are the most recent bi-laterals being undertaken with Trinidad and Tobago?  Why not with CARICOM?  Does CARICOM have a say in this?

LP:       These are partial scope agreements, which do not include the full engagement of a Free Trade Agreement.  The CARICOM treaty allows member states to negotiate such agreements.  However we are required to keep CARICOM fully informed of the developments in the negotiations and to submit the final outcome to CARICOM for approval.

 

Q7:      Why have Panama and Guatemala been chosen as priority countries?

LP:       The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has indicated its interest in expanding market access for the business community into other countries of Latin America.  These negotiations are therefore a natural outcome of that policy perspective and we expect that more of these agreements will be negotiated in pursuit of this broad objective.

 

Q8:      We have noticed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communications has been taking the lead for these recent negotiations, more so bi-laterals, whereas in the past the Ministry of Trade and Industry would have done so.  Would you care to comment on this shift?

LP:       In the Chamber’s view we have one Government comprised of different Ministries.  The Government of Trinidad and Tobago determines leadership roles and responsibilities.  For our part as Business Sector Organizations, our role is clear in support of members interest and contribute to the national development.  We believe however, that all available technical knowledge that resides within the Public Sector should be brought to bear for every negotiation.  This particular case requires full co-operation between the two Ministries concerned, to achieve of outcomes which are beneficial to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

 

Q9:      What initiatives has the Chamber undertaken to ensure a more proactive role in the trade arena as a whole?

LP:       There have been two main activities.  One has been the establishment of a Trade and Business Development Committee and the second has been the establishment of a Trade and Business Development Unit within the Chamber.   Without fear of contradiction, this new arrangement brings to bear a wide range of technical skills and backgrounds to the task of promoting and protecting the trading and business development interest of Chamber members.

 

Q10:    Have these changes been effective?

LP:       Our CEO, from the time of her arrival at the Chamber, has consistently expressed the need to focus on Trade and Business development issues.  These changes now begin to see that vision accomplished.  We expect that members have already started to see the value of this approach.  One example is that we just conducted a very successful Trade Mission to Guatemala.  The work we have done in preparation for the Trade Mission puts us in a very good position to impact the negotiations with Guatemala.