“The devil is always in the details.” It is because of this age old truth that Belize professionals should be informed about the various trade and corporation agreements that have been penned on their behalf on the bilateral, regional and international fronts.
The Belize Coalition of Service Providers on Friday hosted a Regional Trade Agreements and Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRA) Sensitization Workshop at the conference room of the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) in Belize City. Although scantily attended, the event provided a forum for Belizean businesspeople to widen their knowledge on the relevant international trade agreements.
The Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA), a regional trade and investment organization of the Forum of Caribbean States (CARIFORUM), partnered with the Belize Coalition of Service Providers in the endeavor.
The agenda of the workshop was set; however, the presentation of Carlos Wharton, senior trade policy advisor for CEDA, was effectively put on pause, as workshop participants ventilated a concern very key to them – the fact that despite all the talk of free and fair trade, professionals in countries such as Belize are often squeezed out of the game, not because they lack the know-how, but because competing with big money is next to impossible where the system is set up such that a well-financed company can beat out a smaller company for bids, even when they have greater expertise to get the job done for less.
The issue was emphasized by Belizean engineers, who complain that certain grant projects in Belize from the developed world set high financial benchmarks that weed them out, because they make it impossible for them to qualify.
In his presentation, Wharton noted that in the trade agreement the countries of CARIFORUM have with the EU, 86.9% of trade in goods will be liberalized over 25 years. There should be full reciprocity of trade for that block. Protection will only be granted to 13.1% of goods traded, such as those sensitive to government revenues. On the services side, all is game, and there would be less reciprocity; it in this domain, therefore, that Caribbean countries stand to be at a greater disadvantage.
Belize is the last country for the sensitization series on these trade agreements. Yvonne Hartshorn, Belizean realtor, expressed concern over whether Belize can rise to the occasion.
Philip Waight, Belizean engineer, spoke of the way Belizeans are often excluded by provisions of certain grant contracts for projects such as road building. The financial conditions set are above the capacity of 80% to 90% of Belizean professionals, he noted. He said that one way to take care of this problem is to break down the project into smaller, less costly, parts. Another suggestion tabled was to establish joint ventures with companies in other Caribbean countries, or creating networks with architects and engineers in the region.
A key element discussed at the workshop was Mutual Recognition Agreements or MRAs, legally binding agreements which, according to the Belize Coalition of Service Providers, guarantee recognition of the qualifications and market access rights of one professional in the territory of the other.
If they don’t recognize your qualifications, explained Wharton, all market access is out the door.
Orson Elrington, chairman of the Belize Coalition Service Providers, noted that, “The education and engagement process [of Belizean professionals] must be continuous and consistent for our service providers if we hope to take full advantage of the trade agreements, as well as limit the potential detrimental effects of these regional trade agreements.”
Roberto Harrison, Export Promotion Manager of BELTRAIDE, the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service, highlighted that Belizeans have to better understand their needs, and they need to become more understanding partners in order to benefit more from what is available in the international marketplace.