Challenges Remain as CARICOM Leaders Conclude Summit Without Finalizing Free Movement Arrangements

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders ended their summit in Grenada without signing off on the arrangements to facilitate the free and full movement of CARICOM nationals.

The leaders had originally hoped to have put the process in place by the end of March as had been outlined following their summit in Guyana earlier this year.

The regional leaders were due to have met in mid-March for the anticipated sign-off on the arrangements but it appears that there continues to be outstanding matters that must be resolved before full free movement can be operationalised.

Speaking to reporters at the news conference marking the end of their three-day summit host Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, who is also the CARICOM chairman, said “what I can say is that we are not there yet.

“We continue to engage with some of these users that require us to get there. But we certainly will continue doing the necessary work to be able to realize the ultimate vision,” Mitchell said.

Asked by reporters to indicate what are the impediments, Mitchell responded by saying “I prefer not to give you what the specific impediments are, other than to say that we will continue to work and engage on some of the outstanding issues”.

At the end of the summit in Guyana in February, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who has lead responsibility for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), had told reporters “we are on target” as it pertained to the free movement of CARICOM nationals.

The CSME allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labour, and services across the region. Under the existing free movement of skills regime, persons seeking to work in member countries are required to obtain a CARICOM Skills Certificate.

But apart from university graduates, artistes, musicians, sportspeople, media workers, nurses, teachers, associate degree graduates, domestic and artisans, all other categories of workers would need a work permit for the country which they are entering.

Mottley had told reporters that the community is on track to fulfill the mandate regional leaders gave at their historic 50th-anniversary summit in Trinidad and Tobago in July last year for free and full movement of CARICOM nationals from March 31, 2024.

She said then that there were two outstanding matters that must be resolved before full free movement can be operationalised. These two policy issues were referred to heads for settlement by the intergovernmental task force on free movement.

But in the process of negotiation, Antigua and Barbuda had already signalled that it wished to maintain its use of the current skills regime, which allows it to focus on addressing labour force demand in the local market.

“The policy is pragmatic and realistic to avoid dislocation of the indigenous population, protecting jobs, and avoiding exacerbation of our economic/fiscal challenge,” said Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to CARICOM, Dr Clarence Henry.

The Bahamas and Bermuda have also indicated that they would not be part of the free movement of people across the region. (CMC)