Article 80: Co-ordination of External Trade Policy

  1.         The Member States shall co-ordinate their trade policies with third States or groups of third States.
  1.         The Community shall pursue the negotiation of external trade and economic agreements on a joint basis in accordance with principles and mechanisms established by the Conference.
  1.         Bilateral agreements to be  negotiated by Member States in pursuance of their national strategic interests shall:

(a)        be without prejudice to their obligations under the Treaty; and

(b)        prior to their conclusion, be subject to certification by the CARICOM Secretariat that the agreements do not prejudice or place at a disadvantage the position of other CARICOM States vis-a-vis the Treaty.

  1.         Where trade agreements involving tariff concessions are being negotiated, the prior approval of COTED shall be required.

 

  1.         Nothing in this Treaty shall preclude Belize from concluding arrangements with neighbouring economic groupings provided that treatment not less favourable than that accorded to third States within such groupings shall be accorded to the Member States of the Community, and that the arrangements make adequate provision to guard against the deflection of trade into the rest of CARICOM from the countries of such groupings through Belize.