ST. JOHN’S, Antigua — Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Monday urged a practical reset in trade relations between the Caribbean and the European Union, arguing that existing agreements must work better for small economies in practice, not just on paper.
Addressing lawmakers at the inaugural Caribbean–EU Parliamentary Assembly in Antigua, Browne said the EU–CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) provides a solid legal framework, but implementation gaps continue to limit its full benefits.
“The EU–CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement provides a sound legal framework. But law alone does not generate prosperity, execution does,” Browne told parliamentarians from both regions.
He said small and medium-sized Caribbean enterprises still struggle to translate market access provisions into real commercial gains.
“Small and medium-sized Caribbean enterprises still struggle to translate access on paper into access in practice,” he said, pointing to rules of origin, regulatory complexity and limited technical capacity as persistent barriers.
Browne argued that if the partnership is to mature, it must become “more usable, more navigable, and more responsive to the realities of small economies.”
He also called for “targeted market-access fixes” and “modernised rules of origin,” along with credible investment pipelines under the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative.
“At a time when global trade routes are being reshaped, predictability is not a luxury—it is an economic stabiliser,” Browne said. “Rules-based trade protects the strong, and while it has not always done so – it must also enable the small.”
The Prime Minister said the Caribbean is seeking deeper European investment in renewable energy, science and technology, digital services, sustainable tourism, the blue economy and the creative industries.
“The Caribbean offers political stability, strategic location, and a firm commitment to democratic governance and the rule of law,” he said. “We offer certainty. We offer reliability. We offer partnership.”
The three-day Assembly in Antigua brings together parliamentarians from the European Union and the Caribbean under the framework of the Samoa Agreement, with discussions centred on trade, climate resilience, security and development cooperation.
Browne said what is now required is political will to move from declarations to delivery.
“The Caribbean does not need a proliferation of declarations. It needs a focused and coherent agenda,” he said.