Photo courtesy: Caribbean Business Report
The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission has commenced a series of country missions to the Protocol Member States.
Between November 5 to December 7, 2023, stakeholder consultations were held in Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The engagements will be finalized in January 2024 following discussions with senior officials from Montserrat.
The recommendations from the consultations will form part of a report which will be reviewed by the OECS Authority in 2024 for further action.
The mission aims to increase awareness among the public on the benefits of the Economic Union and the ongoing European Union-funded Regional Integration Through Growth Harmonization and Technology (RIGHT) program.
It is also aims at promoting national action that will fully establish the free movement of persons regime. The regime is a core component of the Eastern Caribbean Economic Union (ECEU) established on June 18th, 2010 under the Revised Treaty of Basseterre (RTB).
In May 2011, the 53rd Meeting of the OECS Authority took the decision to grant OECS citizens and their qualifying family members within the ECEU several benefits associated with free movement of persons.