Jamaica
is fully prepared for the CARICOM Single Market and
Economy (CSME) having instituted all the legal and administrative
requirements to facilitate the implementation of the
Single Market aspect of the process.
With the onset of globalisation in the 1980s the region
found itself having to compete with larger and more
developed markets and recognized that a unified Caribbean
community would have to be the way forward if the region
were to survive.
The CSME was established by the Conference of Heads
of Government in Grenada in 1989, with amendments to
the Treaty of Chaguaramas and the negotiation of nine
Protocols. The provisions of the nine Protocols, which
have now been incorporated into the Revised Treaty of
Chaguaramas, cover: institutions and structures; establishment,
services and capital; industrial policy; trade policy;
agricultural policy; transport policy; disadvantaged
countries, regions and sectors; competition policy and
consumer protection; and dumping and subsidies and disputes
settlement.
Jamaica has enacted the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas
into domestic law and has established a CSME Unit within
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade along
with an Inter-Ministerial Consultative Committee to
coordinate the implementation process.
This committee comprises ministerial and other representatives
of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, National Security,
Agriculture, Commerce, Science and Technology, Finance
and Planning, Labour and Social Security and the Attorney
General’s Department.
“Under the Free Movement of Persons category,
Jamaica has already enacted the Caribbean Community
(Free Movement of Skilled Persons) Act, 1997 entitling
five groups of CARICOM Nationals and their dependents
to offer services in Jamaica without the need for work
permits”, Head of the CSME Unit, Robert Miller
tells JIS News.
Mr. Miller says that the CSME, under the Revised Treaty,
enables university graduates, media workers, sports
persons, artistes and musicians and also self-employed
persons engaged in activities of a commercial, industrial
or agricultural nature, to establish a business in any
other member state without restrictions. It entitles
these five categories and their dependents to offer
services in Jamaica without work permits.
Regionally, agreement has been reached on the implementation
of two lines at the ports of entry, one for CARICOM
nationals and the other for non-CARICOM nationals, which
Jamaica has already complied with.
“The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas provides for
the establishment of a regime for trade in services
similar to the trade in goods and the government has
taken action towards meeting its commitment for the
Right of Establishment and Provision of Services by
CARICOM nationals”, Mr. Miller says.
The CSME will also aid entrepreneurs to transfer money
to another country without having to obtain prior authorization,
the right to buy shares in any company in any member
state and access to a wider pool of skilled persons
from which to recruit.
“The establishment of the CSME is intended to
assist member CARICOM states to achieve national objectives
such as sustained economic development and expansion
of trade, full employment of all the factors of production,
improved standards of living and work and effective
economic relations with other countries”, he points
out.
He adds that the implementation of all the major elements
of the CSME will result in a single, seamless economic
space within which all transactions will take place.
As such, another aspect of the CSME that is in progress
is the establishment of a Regional Accreditation Body,
to oversee accreditation and equivalency of degrees,
diplomas, certificates and other qualifications.
Turning to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and
its importance to the functioning of the CSME, Mr. Miller
expresses the hopes that the CCJ will now function in
its original jurisdiction as a trade court, following
the recent ruling of the Privy Council. The court will
be charged with the interpretation and application of
the Revised Treaty and exercise exclusive jurisdiction
with respect to dispute settlement, mediation, conciliation
and arbitration.
Mr. Miller argues that the benefits of the CSME to Jamaica
far outweigh the challenges. “Improved ability
to recruit skilled workers from across the region and
for increased job opportunities for all CARICOM nationals,
enhanced access to specialized training and technology
transfer serving to expand the knowledge base and capacity
building skills of various sectors,” are a few
of the benefits that he outlines.
The establishment of the CSME, will also encourage regional
institutions to strengthen collaboration in policy development
and information sharing with respect to human and social
development at all levels. Mr. Miller notes that harmonization
of standards and quality across the region will apply
to goods and services. He points out that in July 2004,
the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education
in medical and other health professions was inaugurated
and currently applies to six member states including
Jamaica.
Mr. Miller adds that the CSME will promote a greater
sense of regional identity and cross-cultural interaction
and individuals, communities and groups stand to benefit
from greater exposure to cultural norms and practices
from across the region. There will also be a wider range
of goods and services to choose from with improved quality
based on increased competition.
According to Mr. Miller, “small business development,
niche marketing, the formation of partnerships and joint
ventures, job creation and poverty eradication complemented
by access to training”, can only add to the enhancement
of the quality of life in each territory.
Any major undertaking of the magnitude of the CSME will
encounter a number of challenges and this venture was
no different. The main challenge faced is capacity constraints
due to small size and varying levels of development
of member states. However, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad
and Tobago have decided to go ahead and implement the
body, with the other nations to come on incrementally.
According
to Mr. Miller, “another challenge is the resistance
to change that some stakeholders are expected to demonstrate
towards the enhanced efficiency under the changes
required by the CSME”. He adds, “the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is already engaged
in facilitating partnerships between civil society
and private sector groups at a national and sectoral
level”.
Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago are also been fully
compliant since January 1, 2005 and the other member
states are expected to complete the implementation
process by January 2006.
The CSME is providing a common platform that will
better enable CARICOM to speak with a common voice
in crucial trade negotiations in the various international
fora in which the countries of the region are involved.
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