CHA president Peter Odle said the association was disappointed with the negotiations relating to tourism and were concerned that the EU's approach appeared dismissive and counter-productive .

"The European Union's proposed 'non-paper' on tourism is entirely inadequate and unacceptable," said Odle.

Questioned on the issue during the CHA's small hotels retreat which concluded Friday at Hilton Barbados, Odle said the CHA was urging CARIFORUM negotiators and member states to continue to push for agreement on the proposed tourism text, which had evolved out of the joint Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO)/CHA position paper submitted to the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery in 2006.

"Generally, the CHA is dismayed that the EU is of the view that their one-page summarised document could adequately and fairly represent trading arrangements that will pertain between CARIFORUM and the EU for the leading economic sector in the CARIFORUM region.

"We understand that the EU has shown little interest in considering CARIFORUM's detailed and substantive proposal on tourism and we find this dismissive approach unproductive at the very least," Odle said.

According to Odle, the EU's tourism proposal omits many critical elements proposed by CARIFORUM for the support of the tourism industry in a future trading agreement.

He cited several examples of critical elements which had been omitted in the EU "non-paper" when compared to the CARIFORUM proposed text.

Among them, he said, were details on mechanisms to address and prevent anti-competitive practices in tourism between the EU and CARIFORUM, details on market access for CARIFORUM tourism service providers to the EU and details on mutual recognition of tourism professionals.

Odle added that other key elements were also omitted in relation to sustainable tourism development and technical assistance and development cooperation for the industry.

The CHA chief said the umbrella grouping was acutely aware that the commitments made, or not made, in the EPA will form the foundation for tourism transactions between CARIFORUM member states and the EU, one of its largest tourism markets into the foreseeable future.

Europe and its former colonies have been negotiating new EPAs over the past five years in order to end the EU's special trade ties which are regarded as a violation of world trade rules.

The World Trade Organisation has set a January 1 deadline for the EU to come to a new settlement with the 78-member ACP group of countries. (BB)