Some time early next year the association agreement reached in May between Central America and Europe will come into force. It will open quickly the EU market to agricultural products and manufactured items from Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. In many cases access will be for products for which the Caribbean has had long term preferential access.

Read what the European Commissioner for Trade, Karel de Gucht, said in June in Costa Rica and the message is clear: “I am drawn to your region by your creativity and dynamism. I have followed with interest how your economies and exports have rebounded after the global crisis. It is clear that you have not wavered in your determination to open up your economies and undertake the reforms needed. When Europeans think of Central America, the image that comes to mind is often that of vibrant markets: with ripe bananas, high quality rum, tropical fruits, and the smell of roasted coffee beans.”

In the region little has been said about this…..