OECS director general gives update on sub-region’s economic union

Ishmael

OECS Director General Len Ishmael has been discussing the status of the implementation of the sub-region’s economic union with Dominica’s Prime Minister and his Cabinet.

Dr Ishmael told reporters during a brief visit to Dominica, that she gave Prime Minister Roosevelt  Skerrit  “a little bit of a status update  in terms of where we are with implementation of the  OECS Economic Union across the board, in terms of across the single space”.

She said the talks also focused on “the legislative agenda and administrative agenda that still requires that we make progress on them”.

“It’s not unique to Dominica.  All of our OECS member states are in the same position of working through the legislative amendments that are required even while they have put administrative processes in place,” the OECS Director General said.

The leading OECS official said good progress was being made on the process of free movement of all OECS people through the sub-region.

“It’s actually being implemented,” she said, while admitting that there were hurdles still to be overcome.

“When we cross borders in the OECS, even though legislatively this is a right for OECS people in terms of the revised treaty of Basseterre, we are not on the same page,” Dr Ishmael acknowledged.

She indicated that while the spirit and integrity with which these arrangements had been approached remained sound and intact, “we all need to make sure that everybody is on the same page in terms of what the treaty requires and that the processes and mechanisms are in place”.

Her office has had complaints she said, from people who have tried to enter member states who have had difficulty accessing the “free movement” promised under the revised treaty of Basseterre.

According to Dr Ishmael, the problem has to do with administrative and legal requirements that are yet to be concluded.

“Sometimes even though we have the administrative requirement already described on the table, immigration officials will sometimes also rightfully so go to the law, and if the appropriate law has not been sufficiently well amended – they will stick to the law,” she explained.

The OECS Director General said making sure there was a harmonised approach across the OECS to the implementation of  treaty provisions was a priority.

She expects by June (2012) “that all the legislative amendments that are required to ensure facilitation of travel, that those things will in fact be discharged and be in place”.

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11 Comments

  1. observer
    March 17, 2012

    i aggree with fairplay

  2. Anonymous
    March 17, 2012

    8)

  3. ineedfree
    March 17, 2012

    Doctor;

    by june we can assure you that there is going to be another verbal/intellectual distortion of the status of social growth/movement in the islands while the cream of the society remains untouched.

    There is so much hypocrisy in academia that is healthier for us to leave you all on your own having a joy ride….

    enjoy

    • BIG
      March 17, 2012

      Enjoy what?

      • ineedfree
        March 17, 2012

        Big…..

        enjoy the fake

  4. BIG
    March 17, 2012

    What I would like to know is, is our friend Cuba a member of the treaty of Basseterre?

    • Bwete Desorde jr
      March 17, 2012

      No my friend The Republic of Cuba is not a member of the O.E.C.S.Cuba is to my knowledge holding observer status in caricom.I’m open to correction.

  5. Fairplay
    March 16, 2012

    The UK did not join the Eurozone. France is now threatening to withdraw from the ‘Open Borders’ treaty. I think that Dominica should withdraw from ECCAA, because it is not in our interest.

    • Realist
      March 17, 2012

      @fairplay

      You cannot compare a small island fledgling democracy with massive self-sufficient nuclear powers.

    • Malatete
      March 17, 2012

      The U.K.is, of course in the eurozone. However, it is not party to the Schengen agreement. (Google to find out exactly what that entails).

      • Deleoncourt
        March 20, 2012

        The UK is not in the euro zone it is in the EU the UK still uses the British pound sterling . And being a french citizen also there are no free boarders between france and the Uk because the UK is not apart of the schengen treaty. people from the Uk can however enter france freely to work etc and France has no power under european law to revoke this. there i go handing out some learning

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