BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

The head of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), Dr. Richard Bernal, says while he is optimistic that a new trade accord will be signed with Europe by December, regional countries still have an option available in the event that agreement is not reached on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

Bernal said that the Caribbean had the option of a Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) which he described as "a less advantageous regime".

According to an article posted on the official website of the CRNM under the heading 'Bernal Speaks', the head of the regional negotiating body said that, as the deadline nears for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Dominican Republic to enter into an EPA, there are fears as to whether the agreement can be signed before the current preferential trade regime under the Contonou Agreement in December.