OECS Members Discuss the Start of Caribbean Economic Union

In order to consolidate the actions of the Caribbean region, its leaders have agreed to implement the project of Economic Union in 2009. The presidents of the nine countries of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) during the meeting in Montserrat's capital determined to speed up public consultations about the integration process, to make them effective the next year.

Dominica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines already began information exchange with their population about the project and its benefits to the economy of the region. Dominica also included in their consultation a proposal of Trinidad and Tobago, to achieve the OECS political integration by 2013.

One of the general ideas of the Economic Union project is to allow free workforce movement in the Caribbean area and to settle them together with their families.

The British Virgin Islands and Anguilla are associate members of the OECS. Full members of the organization are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia.