Impact Study: UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals

General overview The overall implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA shows mixed results, at best. The 2014 First Five-Year Review of EPA implementation observed a reduction in some tariffs and the establishment of institutions tasked with guiding the implementation at national and regional levels. The study found few discernible aggregate EPA impacts: for example, the expansion of agricultural exports and some free-zone manufacturers from the Dominican Republic, as well as a resurgent regional rum industry supported by an innovative EU-backed programme. However, and despite other exceptions, Caribbean exports to the EU have trended downwards since 2013. While the value of goods exported from the CARIFORUM region to the EU increased from US$3.6 billion in 2005 to US$4.5 billion in 2013, there was a 23% drop in 2016, linked to falling commodity prices that hit Trinidad andTobago’s hydrocarbon exports; there has however been a slight upward trend in the last two years 21 . Overall, no clear connection could be observed between the market opening and the development of trade flows since 2008. It can be argued that economic and export structures in the Caribbean have remained largely unchanged post-EPA. The 2014 report was cautious in drawing conclusions on the overall economic impact of the EPA, since ratification has been slow. This situation has now improved with almost all tariff reductions fulfilled. In terms of institutional development under the EPA, as discussed earlier, the national and regional implementation agencies have generally covered the key priority areas envisioned by the EPA. Yet, the coverage has not been comprehensive, and culture has clearly not been part of these efforts. This has been partially attributed to delayed funding, as in some instances the EU programming process had been slow in delivering assistance on EPA implementation and bilateral donors, such as the United Kingdomand Germany, had to step in to fill the gap. The ratification process has also been protracted and there are still countries on both sides of

36 Culture in the CARIFORUM-EU EPA

21. European Commission: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/isdb_results/factsheets/region/ details_acp-caribbean-countries_en.pdf