CARICOM ‘On Target’ For Free Movement of Nationals by March 31st

• During the closing news conference of the four-day CARICOM summit in Georgetown, Guyana, which ended on February 28, 2024, Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, announced that nationals from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will have the ability to travel throughout the region by the end of March.
• PM Mottley noted that leaders will meet again on March 15th, before then, the remaining policy issues are expected to be settled. “There was just two policy issues referred to heads for us to settle and they will meet on the seventh of March, the legal affairs committee will sign off on the draft on the eighth of March; and the heads of government will meet on the 15th of March with the hope that we can sign off in time for the deadline given in Trinidad of the 31st of March for the free movement of people,” PM Mottley said.
• CARICOM nationals have the privilege to freely travel within participating nations to engage in lucrative commercial endeavours under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), which is governed by the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. However, currently, nationals only enjoy the freedom to relocate within the region for six months without any interrogation. As such, the objective of the CARICOM leaders is to facilitate the unrestricted movement of nationals throughout the region beyond the current six-month restriction.
• Beyond the facilitation of people’s mobility, regional leaders are also dedicating efforts to tackle the issue of company formation within the region. At present, when a CARICOM national intends to establish a company in another member state upon relocation, they are obligated to make a payment. This is one of the next initiatives that the CARICOM members hope to rectify.
• This was first discussed last July at the 45th Conference of the Heads of Government in Trinidad where a deadline was established to conclude the process of enabling the free movement of CARICOM nationals.

(Source: Guyana Chronicle)