BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – CARIBBEAN Heads of Government (HOG) will meet in Barbados on Friday (Jan. 30) for the 5th Meeting of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

According to Caribbean Net News, the meeting will focus on the review of the performance of the CARICOM Single Market and will tackle the establishment of the Single Economy.

The Sub-Committee, which consists of the HOG of Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Belize, The Bahamas, Guyana, Dominica and Jamaica, will receive a status report on the free movement of persons.

The report will address the incidence of movement for those categories of persons already agreed by the HOG (which include university graduates, media workers, sportspersons, artistes, musicians and artisans), the rights of these agreed categories of persons, and will review the schedule for the free movement of community nationals.

The HOG will also consider the integration and harmonisation of the CSME’s key areas, including monetary cooperation and fiscal policy and will deliberate on the required level of commitment, participation and engagement in the Single Economy Process.

Additionally, the CARICOM Development Fund and economic development trends and challenges will be discussed.

The CARICOM Single Market came into existence on January 1, 2006. The Single Economy is expected to be established by 2015.