FREE MOVEMENT AGREED FOR OECS NATIONALS

Grenada, February 1- Leaders of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) concluded a two-day meeting in Grenada with the signing of an agreement to facilitate the free movement of nationals within the sub-region by August 1. The establishment of an European-styled regional parliament has also been agreed to by the leaders who met at Calivigny Island, off Grenada’s southern coastline.

The Prime Minister of the host nation, Tillman Thomas said that by mid-year OECS nationals will only be required to use a drivers license or an identification card to travel around the sub-region.

“We are setting the date of August 1 of this year. By that date we expect OECS citizens to be moving in and out of OESC states without restrictions,” Thomas told a news conference.

“Once you have a driver’s license or ID card you should not have any difficulty moving. We are removing all the impediments to restrictions,” he added.

The two-day meeting took place on the heels of the coming into force of the Revised Treaty of Basseterre establishing the OECS Economic Union on January 21.

The regional parliament, part of the new OECS governance structure, is likely to be headquartered in Antigua and would include representations from Prime Ministers and opposition leaders in member countries.

The assembly will have legislative authority in about eight areas ranging from finance and trade to immigration.

“It will move from state to state and conduct its business in a very transparent and open way,” said OECS Director General, Dr. Len Ishmael. “There has been discussion about ensuring that both the Prime Minister and opposition leader are both members of that parliament when it convenes but they are details of the operation of a regional assembly that still need to be fleshed out in detail”.

The legal teeth given by the revised treaty of Basseterre is seen as significant since under the original treaty establishing the OECS in l981, decisions could only have been arrived at by a consensus.

OECS countries have set a three-month deadline by which the revised treaty of Basseterre becomes domestic law.

“It means that there is now an organization that could pass legislation to affect all OECS states,” Prime Minister Thomas explained. “So once the regional assembly passed legislation... that would be binding on all the states involved within the organization”.

The OECS groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.

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