CARICOM leaders ended their three-day summit in Trinidad past Wednesday night by agreeing to the free movement of all categories of people by March next year.

The arrangement does not extend to Haiti, whose Prime Minister a.i. Ariel Henry, had requested that the country be exempted from the arrangement, given the humanitarian, social and political crisis in the counrty

"Obviously there are some legal issues that we have to examine. And we have given our legal people, some months to examine those legal issues and to ensure that they can come to us by 30th of March to take a definitive position on this," said the President of CARICOM and Premier Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit.

Dominica's Prime minister said that while regional leaders understood there would be challenges for some,"we are committed to this [...] So this is great news. I think the various issues that we are discussing, the number of decisions we've taken, this is the decision that we've taken at this conference, and I believe the founding fathers are smiling from heaven."

He indicated that in addition to free movement, the question of contingent rights that will be associated with the initiative will also be examined to provide access to primary and emergency health care, access to education for basic, pre-primary and secondary education.

Previously, as part of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) which allows for the free movement of goods, people, skills and labor within the region, CARICOM governments had authorized the free movement of media workers, artists, musicians, sportspersons, nurses, teachers, craftspeople with a Caribbean professional qualification and holders of an associate degree or comparable qualification.

Skerrit also announced that the leaders will hold a retreat in Dominica on August 18-19 to review a number of reports, including regional governance and enhancing functional cooperation, ahead of their next scheduled mid-term summit in Guyana.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who has primary responsibility for the CSME in the quasi-CARICOM cabinet, said the leaders of the 15-member group had decided to fully liberalize the free movement of all categories of people in the single market by the beginning of next year, and to amend the Treaty of Chaguaramas to guarantee them access to a limited number of services.

"Freedom of movement of people so is all. There is no services anymore…This now gives full expression to what every Caribbean person has wanted since we have had control of our destiny," she said.

She said the treaty would be amended to harmonize the expectations of Caribbean residents when traveling to the region.

"We recognise, as well, that there will have to be an approach that does not put countries or make countries liable to any form of suit with respect to some of the rights so there has to be a minimum set of rights guaranteed for the movement of citizens."

"So there has to be a minimum set of rights guaranteed for the movement of citizens that will be discussed and agreed upon, that will be captured in the amendments to the treaty that will also have to be financed and we're looking at the CARICOM Development Fund as being able to put in place the mechanism to guarantee that each country can bring its minimum level of services up to the same acceptable period and level," said Mottley.

The regional leaders also addressed the issue of air transport in light of the problems related to the movement of people since the trusteeship of the interregional airline LIAT a few years ago.

HL/ HaitiLibre