BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH just ten more days to go to the inauguration of Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Economic Union, the Federation is fully prepared for greater regional integration according to a senior government official.
His Excellency Wendell Lawrence, Ambassador to CARICOM, OECS and the Association of Caribbean States, said following last December’s signing of the Treaty of Basseterre to establish the union, the government made preparations to meet the June 18 deadline. He stressed that while much of the process is yet to be determined by Parliament, he does not foresee any delay.
“The only thing that would make St. Kitts and Nevis not prepared is if some really radical concept or idea came up either in the parliamentary discussion or in the public consultation.
“Much of the discussion so far has been along the lines of what has happened in the other countries, so there has been nothing particularly earth-shattering to date, but you never know.... You have to see the process through before determining how the rest of the process will go,” Lawrence said in a recent interview with SKNVibes.
The new date marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the original Treaty of Basseterre, which brought the regional organisation into existence. St. Kitts and Nevis was part of the historic December 29 signing of the revised treaty, which signified that the sub-region would be made into a single financial and economic space without barriers to trade between national markets.
Sectors that have been listed in the treaty for joint action include agriculture, tourism, education, transport and civil aviation, environmental sustainability and telecommunication.
According to a recent statement from the Communications Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister (CUOPM), this Friday (Jun. 11) has been earmarked for a sitting of Parliament. Though the order papers have not yet been circulated, Ambassador Lawrence said the session is going to be a critical part in the final preparations leading up to the June 18 deadline.
“That session would be a very determining moment in terms of St. Kitts-Nevis participation because that is the stage at which we will know for sure whether or not parliament itself is prepared to move forward. I know the government is prepared to move forward, but then again the government cannot pre-empt parliament,” he added.
In the meantime, consultations have been “quite good” and are to continue throughout the course of this week in the form of radio and television programmes. Focus groups and the public are also expected to be involved in discussing various aspects of the new treaty.
No official commitment or timeline on final preparations was disclosed, but more information is expected to be made public leading up to or immediately following Friday’s parliamentary session.
