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The goal of the Project is to improve water resources management in Barbados and sustainable water and wastewater service provision by the Barbados Water Authority (BWA). The Project will support the Government’s efforts to modernize the institutional setting of the water and sanitation sector; improve water production infrastructure and the efficiency of the operations of BWA by reducing unaccounted-for-water and implementing adequate cost recovery mechanisms.

[The Project refers to paragraph 8.11. "Government has also secured an IDB loan to facilitate a Water and Sanitation System Upgrade in Barbados in the amount of US$50,000,000."]

Barbados is an active player in the WTO, and a supporter of the multilateral trading system. During the period under review, Barbados has continued to actively advocate the particular vulnerability of small economies to price and supply fluctuations, higher fixed costs of production and marketing, and to natural disasters. Barbados sees the WTO as providing a multilateral rules-based framework for the conduct of all trade.

During the period under review, Barbados continued to advocate actively in international fora, including the WTO, the particular vulnerability of small economies to price and supply fluctuations, higher fixed costs of production and marketing, and susceptibility to natural disasters.

The EPA (CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement) replaced the expired preferences under the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement. The nature of the EPA, which is based on the principle of asymmetric reciprocity, is different from the Cotonou Agreement's which was unilateral. The asymmetry in the granting of preferences is reflected in market access for goods and services, the MFN provisions, trade defence measures, and development cooperation. The Agreement also covers trade in services, public procurement, intellectual property rights and environmental protection. The EPA encourages deeper integration among CARIFORUM States and introduces a regional preference principle by which any more favourable treatment or advantage offered by any CARIFORUM State to the EU must be granted to each CARIFORUM State.

A reciprocal Canada-CARICOM Trade Agreement set to replace the unilateral preferences granted under CARIBCAN is currently being negotiating. Negotiations started in 2009 and Canada and CARICOM have held seven rounds of negotiations to date (the last was in June 2014). Talks have covered market access in goods, trade defence and safeguards measures, rules of origin, trade facilitation, customs procedures, government procurement, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, services, labour, and environment. Both parties agreed that with respect to market access, the chapter on financial services should go beyond Canada's and CARICOM's respective GATS commitments.

In 2010, Barbados eliminated an environmental levy applied at a general rate of 1.5%, with exceptions, on the c.i.f. value of imported goods. This tax was not applied to domestically produced goods, and hence was considered discriminatory.

Barbados applies restrictions on the exportation of certain products, which are included in the List of Prohibited and Restricted Exports, of the Customs Act, as amended by the Customs (List of Prohibited and Restricted Imports and Exports) Order, 2009 (S.I. 2009 No. 127) and the Customs (List of Prohibited and Restricted Imports and Exports) (Amendment) Order, 2010, (S.I. 2010 No. 114). Goods listed in part I of the Second Schedule of the Act are prohibited exports. They include substances or chemicals listed under HS heading Ex 29.03, namely halons, and other ozone-depleting substances. Goods listed in part II of the Second Schedule are restricted exports, they included other ozone-depleting substances under HS heading Ex 29.03, as well as substances or chemicals under tariff heading Ex 38.24, mainly refrigerant blends capable of depleting the ozone layer.

Table 3.6 Prohibited and restricted imports under the Customs (List of Prohibited and Restricted Imports and Exports) Order, 2009
Prohibited imports
Ozone-depleting substances (HS Ex 29.03)
Restricted imports
Ozone-depleting substances (HS Ex 29.03)

Barbados has provided replies to the WTO questionnaire on import licensing procedures. The authorities note that the import licensing system is applied for monitoring, security, health, and environmental purposes as well as protection of public morals, and that there are no quantitative restrictions. (…)

It should be further noted that the import licensing system is applied for monitoring, security, health and environmental purposes as well as protection of public morals. No quantitative restrictions are employed.