THE CSME: IMPORTANCE OR HINDRANCE?

CARICOM Member States Antigua and Barbuda *Bahamas Barbados Belize Dominica Grenada Guyana *Haiti Jamaica *Montserrat St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago

CARICOM Associate Member States Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Turks and Caicos Islands

HISTORY 1958-1962 – British West Indies Federation 1964 - CARIFTA 1973: Treaty of Chaguaramas  CARICOM 1989: Grand Anse Declaration – foundation of the Single Market and Economy 2001: Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) 2006: Measures put in place to implement the CSME

What is the CSM (E) ? Single enlarged economic space in which you can move to:- SEEK EMPLOYMENT ESTABLISH A BUSINESS MOVE CAPITAL OFFER / SELL SERVICES and GOODS All without ‘barriers and restrictions’ A Single Economy which harmonizes fiscal, monetary and sectoral policies and laws.

CSME REGIMES MOVEMENT OF SKILLS MOVEMENT OF CAPITAL RIGHT OF ESTABLISHMENT PROVISION OF SERVICES MOVEMENT OF GOODS

IMPORTANCE OF THE CSME A platform on which to increase the competitiveness of the region. A market for goods and services of the region.

IMPORTANCE OF THE CSME The movement of professionals within the Community.

IMPORTANCE OF THE CSME Benefit of greater critical mass Pooled resources Achieve greater economies of scale Stronger and more effective negotiating and lobbying force CARICOM Nationals can establish companies and other business enterprises in each other's territories and be treated as a national.

IMPORTANCE OF THE CSME Increased business opportunities (networking and partnership) Facilitate the expansion and growth of businesses, investment and entrepreneurship Spinoffs: *Higher levels of economic growth *Increased Production *Employment *Increased Exports *Higher standards of living.

FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Antigua and Barbuda signed on to the Single Market Arrangement in June 2006

A&B Implementation Caribbean Community Skilled Nationals Act No. 3 of 1997 Caribbean Community Skilled Nationals (Amendment) Act of 2007, No. 22 of 2007 Caribbean Community Movement of Factors Act No. 3 of 2006. Established the National Free Movement Committee – June 2008  Article 46 of RTC

Requirements to obtain a Skills Certificate Valid passport Valid Police Records of applicant and spouse (home country & country resided in for 6 months or more) Four passport size photograph Marriage Certificate (if Applicable) Birth Certificates (applicant, spouse, dependents) Letter from previous employer clearly stating the functions the applicant was performing (if not a university grad.) A letter from the respective National Federation or Ministry that clearly states the applicant was registered in a particular field (if not a university) and contracts

Procedures at Point of Entry Upon Entry: Certificate holders should present to the Immigration Officer Valid Passport or entry / travel document Skills Certificate

Procedures at Point of Entry Cont’d Certificate holder will be granted Six (6) months stay in receiving country Certificate holder will be instructed to visit the Competent Authority to verify their skills qualifications

A&B Implementation Movement of Factors Act Regulations (Temporary Service Provider and the Right of Establishment) have not come into force yet.

Temporary Service Providers - Rights Mode 1 – Cross Border (architectural drawings sent from Antigua to Trinidad) Mode 2 – Consumption Abroad (tourism, students, patients) Mode 3 – Commercial Presence (local plumbing company set up branch in Barbados) Mode 4 – Movement of Natural Persons (accountant travelling to Jamaica to provide services for 3 months) To be granted an extension of stay to complete a project if the work is not completed or is extended at the end of the original contract period.

Free Movement of Skills is NOT a Right to Permanent Residency or Citizenship

CRITICAL ISSUES Our perception attitude  fear of each other “Jamaicans are too aggressive” “Trinidadians are too tricksy” “Barbadians are too full of themselves” “Guyanese are always telling interesting stories” “Kittitians don’t love Garrats” “Dem small-islanders” “Antiguans love to go up North America” “Dem foreigners”

CRITICAL ISSUES Fear of mass movement of persons and an influx of persons in the more ‘economically-advanced’ territories Buildup of hopes and expectations of economic prosperity which may not be realized Business persons appear to be “ring fenced” from other persons *Variations of treatment, even within this group

CRITICAL ISSUES Administrative impediments at the ports of entry “Hassel-free travel?” More integration, less bureaucracy “Synergies instead of duplication” Limited legislative and administrative infrastructure at the national level

CRITICAL ISSUES Limited knowledge and inability of the private sector to access trade and development opportunities

USEFUL LINKS http://www.caricom.org/ http://csmeonline.org/ YouTube and FaceBook: CSME Online *4 part training video series

CONCLUSION Is the CSME the best option for you, as business persons, in a competitive global economy?

THANK YOU