The View From Europe

The View from Europe It is not easy to obtain accurate and up-to-date statistics on the value of the food that the Caribbean imports, whether to feed its own population or the many visitors who come to the region each year.

A change in approach at the summit Look closely at the official photograph taken at the start of the Fifth Summit of the Americas and it is hard to miss the symbolism.

A turning point As this is being written, the fifth Summit of the Americas is about to begin in Trinidad.

The issue of climate change has been obscured by the global financial crisis For the last week, the world has watched as the leaders of its twenty most powerful nations (the G20) have met to try to agree a co-ordinated response to the global economic crisis.

The View from Europe (Executive Director of the Caribbean Council for Europe) Washington is a city of think tanks, each vying to influence policy.

The View from Europe (David Jessop is the Executive Director of the caribbean Council for Europe) Observe closely how volatile public opinion is becoming in Europe and the United States.

Enter a new super-power to the regionWhen Jamaica’s Usain Bolt effortlessly won the one hundred metres in the August 2008 Beijing Olympics it became one of the defining moments of an event that cemented China’s global presence in the minds of hundreds of million’s around the world.

The Caribbean should not expect a dramatically changed relationship with the US In a few weeks time the President of the United States, Barack Obama, will attend the Summit of the Americas in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.

(Executive Director of the Caribbean Council for Europe) The global order is changing. 

The Caribbean has to look beyond the pain of the economic crisis and ask what kind of model they wish to have Whatever the outcome, it is clear that the case brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission against Sir Allen Stanford in relation to some US$8B of certificates of deposit sold through Stanford International Bank (SIB), has resulted in a huge reputational blow with far-reaching and long-term consequences for Antigua, the region and its financial services industry.

The new tourism market is becoming more segmentedAcross the Caribbean, governments and the tourism industry are developing new strategies and initiatives aimed at trying to offset the fall in visitor arrivals that most nations expect from April onwards as a consequence of the global economic crisis.

In times of financial crisis social cohesion is essential News that the Government and Central Bank of Trinidad have intervened to take control of some of the subsidiary assets of one of the largest of the Caribbean’s transnationals, CL Financial, makes clear the dangers the global financial crisis has for everyone in the Caribbean.

De-globalisation through inertia?In these last weeks, a new word has entered the English language.

A little light for the Caribbean in the global gloom As the global financial crisis begins to have an increasingly potent effect on the Caribbean, governments across the region are beginning to take steps to mitigate some of its most immediate effects.

Change is coming in Cuba In the last week Cuba has hosted receptions around the world to mark the fiftieth anniversary of its socialist revolution.

In the present crisis national social partnerships have value A few days ago something quite extraordinary happened.

The year 2009 will be a difficult one for the CaribbeanFor many, for reasons of family, religion and tradition, Christmas is both a moment of reflection and celebration; a time to look back, take stock and to consider what might lie ahead.

There has to be a focus on survival strategies before the region is overwhelmed David Jessop is the Executive Director of the Caribbean Council for Europe On December 3 the President of the Caribbean Develop-ment Bank (CDB), Dr Compton Bourne, issued a stark warning.

Europe has created the conditions for the perfect economic storm in the Caribbean On November 24, Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister), Alistair Darling, proposed increasing a tax that already impacts negatively the Caribbean and other tourism destinations.

Cariforum nations should follow Jamaica’s initiative in relation to Cuba On December 8 in Santiago de Cuba, Caribbean heads of government and representatives of a range of regional institutions will gather for the third Cuba-Caricom Summit.