The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) says it is working towards the establishment of a regime for the free circulation of goods (FCG) during 2015.
A statement from the St Lucia-based OECS Commission said that as a result, discussions will take place with representatives of the port authorities in the sub-regional grouping on facilitating free circulation and their readiness to fulfill the role.
“The FCG also requires closer collaboration with the offices of the OECS Commissioners in each OECS member state in order to assist the Commission in undertaking activities such as mobilising national working groups and continued collaboration with the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC) to help build capacity of customs agencies and assist with revenue management issues.”
The statement said that also on the agenda regarding the planned FCG is collaborating with Compete Caribbean to execute consultancies relating to matters such as legislative and regulatory issues and ICT connectivity.
A meeting of the FCG task force is scheduled for March and that the Ministerial Councils of Economic Affairs and Trade will be briefed on progress to date “so that they are informed and can facilitate action at the national level”.