SPAIN has agreed to advocate in the European Union (EU) the need to safeguard the preferential access of Caribbean bananas and sugar to the Europe market and to highlight the implications of the ‘Everything But Arms’ (EBA) Initiative in neutralising trade preferences to the region.

The agreement was part of a joint communiqué issued on Thursday at the end of the second Caribbean Community/Spain Summit held in Madrid, Spain.

African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) grouping of countries are set to begin negotiations with the EU this September to arrive at a trade agreement that is compatible with the principles of free trade as espoused by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The new partnership agreement is to replace the LOME (succeeded by the Cotonou) agreement that was initiated during the 1970s.

The EU has already intimated that it will allow trading in products, except arms, between itself and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). ACP states fear that this will effectively neutralise the preferential status they currently enjoy.

At the summit Prime Minister P J Patterson and fellow Caribbean Community (Caricom) heads of government lobbied the government of Spain, which is a member of the troika (council of three) of the EU, to press for the safeguarding of trade from the developing countries of the Caribbean.

Caricom, through Patterson, its spokesman on external relations, on Thursday endorsed Spain’s candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nation’s Security Council for 2003/2004.

According to the joint communiqué from the Madrid summit, Caricom member states and Spain have reiterated their commitment to strengthen economic and commercial relations undertaken in the Cotonou Agreement.

Spain has also agreed to lend support to the timely implementation of the approved programme of assistance to the region’s rum industry and appropriate Caribbean tourism projects funded by the European Commission (EC), as well as to facilitate a speedy decision on the financial package for the Caribbean rice industry.

The region also sought the support of Spain for the development of an agenda on Small Island Developing States within the framework of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Spain’s Premier, Jose Maria Aznar said Spain recognised the importance of an Agenda for Small States and declared his country’s willingness to support CARICOM’S request for assistance.

Both parties also pledged their commitment to the fight against narco-traficking and noted the introduction of more effective laws to combat money laundering and underscored the importance of the existing co-ordination and co-operation mechanism between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Spanish government also gave an undertaking to continue its support for the region’s efforts to fight narco-trafficking, including the hosting of a seminar on combating narco-trafficking along with the necessary technical assistance.