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(CMC) Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders concluded their summit in Grenada without signing an arrangement to facilitate the free and full movement of CARICOM nationals.
Leaders had hoped to launch the process by the end of March, following the steps outlined following a summit in Guyana earlier this year.
Regional leaders were due to meet in mid-March to sign off on the arrangements, but it appears there are still some outstanding issues that need to be resolved before full free movement can take place.
“What I can say is that we are not there yet,” host and CARICOM chairperson Prime Minister Deacon Mitchell told reporters at a news conference at the end of the three-day summit.
“We’re continuing to engage with some of the users who need us to make that happen,” Mitchell said. “But we’re certainly continuing to do the work that’s necessary to be able to achieve that ultimate vision.”
When asked by reporters to identify what obstacles exist, Mitchell responded: “I’m not willing to tell you what the specific obstacles are, I’ll just say we’re continuing to work through some of the outstanding issues.”
In February, at the end of a summit in Guyana, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who is responsible for the Caribbean Community Single Market and Economy (CSME), told reporters that “we are on track to achieve our goals” in terms of free movement of Caribbean Community nationals.
The Caribbean Community Skills Certificate (CSME) allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services within the region. Under the existing free movement of skills regime, persons wishing to work in member countries must obtain a Caribbean Community Skills Certificate.
But except for college graduates, artists, musicians, athletes, media workers, nurses, teachers, associate degree graduates, domestic workers and artisans, all other categories of workers require a work permit from the country they are entering.
Mottley told reporters that CARICOM was on track to deliver on the request made by regional leaders at the historic 50th anniversary summit held in Trinidad and Tobago last July to achieve the free and full movement of CARICOM nationals from March 31, 2024.
She said at the time that there were two outstanding issues that had to be resolved before free movement could be fully implemented. These two policy issues had been referred to department heads by the intergovernmental working group on free movement for resolution.
But during the negotiations, Antigua and Barbuda has expressed its desire to maintain the existing skills system, which allows it to focus on meeting the labour needs of the local market.
“This policy is pragmatic and realistic, will avoid displacement, protect jobs and avoid exacerbating our economic/fiscal challenges,” said Dr. Clarence Henry, Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the Caribbean Community.
The Bahamas and Bermuda have also said they will not participate in the free movement of people in the region.
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