How well does the Caribbean relate to the European Union? A region that still sees Europe as the source of development assistance, has not fully erased a belief in special arrangements for commodities and is dubious about the value of the Economic Partnership Agreement, there seems little awareness of the ways in which Europe is changing.
Last week in Brussels the Caribbean Tourism Organisation held its annual summit. This forward-looking and positive event, attended by ministers, ambassadors, Caricom and the private sector, was important as it sought to focus European and Caribbean minds on the significance of the tourism industry, when it comes to shaping future EU-Cariforum policy.
The dialogue covered areas as diverse as the environment, taxation, social policy, economic recovery and marketing; but what was also of interest was the