MRAs in focus: Architects and accountants

Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) in partnership with the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI) held a workshop on international trade and the importance that Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) have on the ability for professionals to offer these services in the international market. This workshop was part of TTSCI’s services week of and it focused on architects and accountants.

The discussion with architects and accountants revealed that these two important sectors are distinctly different in being recognised in the international market. Whereas architects will definitely be required to negotiate MRAs to get recognition to qualify to do business in the European Union (EU) and Canada, the accountants through the association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Certified General Accounts Association of Canada (CGA) already have significant access to these markets.

This sensitisation workshop, facilitated by Lawrence Placide, Alternate Negotiator for Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations, was the first in a series of workshops that are targeted at sensitising services providers on this aspect of international trade measures that are required for them to export their services internationally.

Caribbean Export hosted similar workshops in Jamaica, Barbados and Saint Lucia (for OeCS member states) in early December. Meanwhile Caribbean Export also organised a meeting with the architects Council of Europe on November 19-20 to discuss - as required by the EU-CARIFORUM EPA, the preparation of the MRA between Caribbean architects (represented by Association of Commonwealth Societies of Architects in the Caribbean (ACSAC), The Federation of Caribbean Association of Architects (FCAA) and architects from the Dominican Republic represented through CE-DARQ-FUNGLODE) and European Architects (represented by the Architects Council of Europe ACE).

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Mutual recognition of Professional Qualifications was signed by the parties. The parties expressed their intentions to:

• Establish the essential bases and criteria for mutual recognition
• Work towards determining the conditions to be met for recognition in each jurisdictions and the level of equivalence to be agreed between the parties
• Exchange information on issues related to architectural education, training and practice to include the conditions of practice, codes of ethics and conduct in each jurisdiction
• Facilitate mobility of professionals, academics and students between jurisdictions
• Provide mutual assistance and support in understanding, developing and sustaining appropriate regulatory frameworks as they affect the practice of architecture
• Coordinate their respective efforts with the relevant authorities and collaborate actions
  that may be undertaken in applying for cooperation funding to assist in their efforts
  in the implementation of the MRAs.