Mr Mandelson told Caribbean trade ministers meeting in St Lucia that decades of preferential access haven't boosted Caribbean exports to Europe, hadn't improved competitiveness, and may have actually hurt diversification.

Caribbean failed
He continued his uncompromising message by saying the countries of the region should end their economic dependence on single agricultural crops.

"I don't want to trap Caribbean economists in the past " he told BBC Caribbean Radio, "the arrangements we've used in the past haven't really succeeded in diversifying and building economies in the Caribbean".

Protests
As the officials met, protests groups were busy organising a demonstration against the planned removal of trade sweeteners for Caribbean sugar and banana exporters, which They believe it will put many farmers out of business.

Farmers from St Vincent, Dominica, Martinique, Trinidad and Guyana will join farmers from St Lucia at the protests.

"We want the EU to hold strain", protest organiser Chantal Munroe-Knight told the BBC, "our objective is to bring the focus of negotiations back to the issue of development".

Friday's march is dubbed Operation Get Up Stand Up after the famous protest anthem by Bob Marley.