Caricom

Antecedents at the current community

Caricom replaces the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) which existed between 1965 and 1972. This association it had even been made up to reinforce the economic alliance of the anglophone countries of Caribbean instead of the West Indies Federation existing between the January 3rd 1958 and the May 31st 1962.

The community was born under the name of Communauté and Common Market from Caribbean the with the Traité from Chaguaramas signed by the first minists: Errol W. Barrow of Barbados, L.F.S. Burnham of Guyana, Michael Manley of Jamaica and Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago July 4th 1973.

The July 5th 2001 at the time of the twenty-second meets members with Nassau (the Bahamas), the chiefs of the governments of the community caribéenne revised the treaty of Chaguaramas D-establishing the statutes of Caricom by including the market and the single economy there caribéenne (CSME). Part of this revision includes future creation of the Court of justice caribéenne.

Participation

Haiti initially entered Caricom as a provisional member of the July 4th 1998 to become full member later only 4 years.

Since March 2004, the participation of Haiti in Caricom was suspended by its Prime Minister (Gerard Latortue) in answer to the visit of the outgoing Haitian president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, in Jamaica. The participation of Haiti was actually suspended the February 29th 2004, because Caricom refused to recognize the temporary government. Haiti reinstated Caricom following the election of Rene Préval and the creation of its new government.

In July 1999, Anguilla reinstated Caricom, this time as an associated member. It indeed formed part of Caricom of 1974 with 1980 when it was associated with Saint-Christophe-and-Niévès, in the old State of Saint-Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla.

In 2005, the Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic proposed the integration of its country in Caricom. It was not obvious that this one is accepted by the other members of Caricom, because of the weight of the population and the Dominican economy compared to those of the other Member States. This request is explained by the fact why the Neighboring state of Hispaniola: Haiti, formed to him part of Caricom. It was proposed that the relations between Caricom and the Dominican Republic is tightened by the means of the Association of the States of Caribbean the (AEC).

Structure

Following the reorganization of 2001, Caricom functions as follows:

The executive

It is made up:

Of the representatives of the executive of each member,
Of a president (in turn the Prime Minister of each Member State)
Of a general secretary (chief of the executive)
And secretariat of Caricom (chief of the administrative body)

There exists also a cabinet for almost each head of government to whom it delegates responsbility or specific file of development and regional integration.

The legislative branch

the Council of the Community : the Council of the Community is composed of the ministers responsible for the Community businesses, more other ministers whose designation is left with the whole discretion of the Member States. It is the one of the principal bodies of the Community (the other being the Conference of the heads of government). It is assisted of four other councils and three committees.

Other councils

the council of finances (Council for Finance and Planning, COFAP)
the council commercial and economic development (Council for Trade and Economic Development, COTED)
the council of the foreign affairs and Community (Council for Foreign and Community Relations, COFCOR)
the council for the development (Council for Human and Social Development, COHSOD)

Committees

the committee with the legal affairs: provides legal opinions to the councils and organizations of the English Community: [http://www.caricomlaw.org CARICOMLaw;
the committee budgetary: examine the draft budget and the work program of the Secretariat and provides recommendations to the council of the Community;
the committee of the directors of central banks: provides recommendations to the COFAP in the monetary and financial field.

Legal institutions

the Court of justice of the Caribbean (CJC) will be the body of payment of the arguments within CARICOM, as well as the Court of Appeal in last spring for the Member States having reinforced their bonds avecc the Privy Council based to London, with the the United Kingdom. The CJC has its seat with Port of Spain, Trinité and Tobago.

Bodies of the community of the Caribbean

Conference of the heads of government -

Heads of government of the CARICOM

Standing Committee of the ministers - It gathers for the same field the Ministers for the Member States (for example the Standing Committee of the Ministers for Health)

Secretariat

Secretary-General Secretariat of the Community of the Caribbean
off the Caribbean Community

The Secretariat is based with Georgetown, in Guyana. ---- ----

Caribbean Community Institutions

Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA)
Caribbean Meteorological Institute (CMI)
Caribbean Meterological Organization (CMO)
Caribbean Food Corporation (CFC)
Caribbean Environment Health Institute (CEHI)
Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI)
Caribbean Regional Centers off for the Education and training Animal Health and Veterinary Public Health Assistants (REPAHA)
Assembly off Caribbean Community Parliamentarians (ACCP)
Caribbean Center for Development Administration (CARICAD)
Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI)
Caribbean Examination Council (CXC)
CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME)
Caribbean Runs off Justice (CCJ)

Associated institutions

Bank of development of the Caribbean (CDB)
University of Guyana (UG)
University of the Western Antilles (UWI)
Caribbean Law Institute/Caribbean Law Institute Centers (CLI/CLICK)
Organization of the States of Caribbean Eastern (OECO)

Secondary bodies

Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED)
Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR)
Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD)
Council for Finance and Planning (COFAP)

Other bodies

Legal Affairs Committee [http://www.caricomlaw.org CARICOM Law
Budget Committee
Committee off the Central Bank Governors

Institutions born of Caricom

Several institutions were born continuation from initiative of Caricom, it is the case of:

Instituto Meteorológico del Caribe (CMI),
the Organización Meteorológica del Caribe (CMO),
el Instituto de Investigaciones Agrícolas del Caribe (CARDI),
el Central Regional para Educación there Entrenamiento in Veterinaria there Salud Animal and
el Instituto para Alimentación there Nutrición del Caribe (CFNI)

Other institutions joined formally Caricom, it is the case of:

el Banco of Desarrollo del Caribe (CDB),
the University of Guyana,
the University of the Western Indies and
the Organization of the States of Caribbean Eastern the (OECS).

Projects of the CARICOM

Single European market of the CARICOM

An agreement between Barbades, Jamaica and Trinité and tobago was signed the January 5th 2005.

The objective was that the twelve other Member States join the Single European market before the end of the year. The Treaty took effect on January 1st 2006 with the Barbades, Belize, the Jamaica, the Guyana, the Suriname and Trinité and Tobago for first members. The British territory of Montserrat seeks to obtain the agreement of the the United Kingdom to belong to the single European market. Haiti will not join the single European market because of the plitic situation interns and the the Bahamas because of a provision authorizing the skilled workers to move freely.

The Secretariat of the CARICOM maintains close contacts with the Organization of the Caribbean Eastern.

Common passport of the CARICOM

This passport, in addition to allowing freedom of circulation and of the economies of scale the Member States, allows the awakening of a common identity by the citizens. New the passports have a better security and are readable out of machine. The January 7th, 2005, the Republic of the Suriname became the first Member State to set up it. Then, in April 2005, it was the case of Saint Vincent and Grenades, and the October 25th 2005, of St Kitts and Nevis. The other Member States should make in the same way as their stocks of old passports arrive to exhaustion.

Design of the passport

the three colors are:

Dark blue for the Civil
Green for the representatives of the Red Government
for the Diplomatic .

The passports often make appear side by side the national symbols and that of the CARICOM. The passports of Surinam were created by the Canadian Banknote Company Ltd. at a cost of 1,5 million $ over five years.

Future prospects

Fusion of the air lines
Charter of the monetary civil society
Union
Freedom of displacement
Union (S) political (S)
Regional exchange

Free trade

As from the years 2000, the States of the CARICOM had for new objective the establishment of Accord of free trade S with the local and regional business partners. This process is carried out within the framework of the Caribbean Regional Negociating Machinery (CRNM).

; Preferential agreements

CARICOM - Venezuela (January 1st, 1993)
CARICOM - Colombia (January 1st, 1995)

; Agreements of free trade

CARICOM - Cuba (July 5th, 2000)
CARICOM - Dominican Republic (December 2001)
CARICOM - Costa Rica (March 9th, 2004)

; With the study

CARICOM - Canada: Canada finalizes for the moment the agreement of free trade with the Central America CAFTA.
CARICOM - European Union
CARICOM - Mercosur: the negotiations began in May 2005

Moreover, twelve of the fifteen members of the CARICOM (with l´exception of Barbados and of Trinity-and-Tobago) belong to l´alliance Petrocaribe installation in 2005 with Venezuela and allowing the countries signatory d´acheter the oil of this last preferential conditions of payment.

Comparison with other regional blocks

References

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