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| Prime minister St. Kitts and Nevis |
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Prime ministers from six nations on Monday signed a declaration formalizing their entry into the Caribbean Single Market Economy, an agreement designed to allow goods, services and skilled workers to move more easily throughout the region.
Prime ministers from Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad officially launched the agreement during a ceremony at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies in the capital, Kingston.
Leaders from St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Antigua and Dominica signed a declaration of intent, which will see their countries joining the single market by the end of March.
Under the accord, the governments can lift tariffs among participating members, and all citizens can open businesses, provide services and move capital throughout the market without restrictions. The governments will also replace national travel documents with a regional passport by 2007.
Member nations will have access to bilateral free-trade agreements the Caribbean Community has already made with Colombia, Cuba, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
"With new investment and expanded businesses we will enjoy advanced levels of economic growth and employment, leading ultimately to higher standards of living for our countries," said Jamaica's Prime Minister P.J. Patterson at the signing ceremony at University of the West Indies Mona campus in the capital, Kingston.
