Caribbean Trade Preference Program Under Review

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is accepting comments through July 16 on the operation of the Caribbean Basin Initiative, including the performance of each beneficiary country and whether they are meeting CBI criteria.

The Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act and the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act are commonly referred to together as the Caribbean Basin Initiative. Barbados, Belize, Curacao, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago receive benefits under both CBERA and CBTPA. Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines currently receive benefits only under CBERA.

USTR is required to submit a biennial report to Congress on CBI and is therefore seeking comments on any aspect of the program’s operation. USTR’s report will also examine the CBI’s effective on the volume and composition of trade and investment between the U.S. and CBI beneficiary countries and on advancing U.S. trade policy goals. The most recent such report is available here.