7. Monitoring Regional Integration in Practice: Reflections from the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement

The authors present a study of the problems faced by monitoring the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), an agreement that was signed between the EU and the CARICOM in 2007. By showing current monitoring efforts in the Caribbean region, the authors explain the challenges that must be addressed, such as monitoring compliance or development impacts. From their analysis, the authors extract the following lessons: First, analyzing the political, historical and economic contexts is key to determine the state of regional integration. Second, regional monitoring systems can be seen as a useful tool for national governments. Third, the monitoring exercise should be flexible enough in regards to countries with different characteristics. Fourth, the monitoring system must begin with a modest ambition. Finally, the authors emphasize that the design of an EPA monitoring systems requires consideration of objectives, scope, actors and institutions, as well as methodology.