Relating to a much-changed Europe

Ursula von der Leyen

The spectacle of Britain all but tearing itself apart over its future relationship with the European Union (EU) has been unedifying. Now, however, after months of political, legal, constitutional, and parliamentary wrangling, the indications are that very soon Britain, in one or another way, will leave. 

As a fail-safe the Caribbean has agreed the text of a CARIFORUM-UK Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which can be rapidly approved in the event of a hard Brexit. This will, if required, provide Caribbean exporters of goods and services to the UK near identical market access terms to those it has under the EU-CARIFORUM EPA.

Much less certain is whether the Anglophone Carib-bean has yet recognised that this is the moment at which it should set aside it UK-centric view of Europe and develop an intimate relationship with at least some of Europe’s twenty-seven other member states.