MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SINGLE ECONOMY AND APPROPRIATE POLITICAL INTEGRATION BETWEEN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO AND EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES 

BACKGROUND

On August 14, 2008 the Heads of Government of Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines signed a Joint Declaration on Collaboration towards the Achievement of the Single Economy and Political Integration among Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

In adopting the Joint Declaration the Governments took note of a Document prepared by Professor Vaughan Lewis and Ambassador Dr. Cuthbert Joseph entitled “Proposal for a new Political Configuration for Interested East/Southern Caribbean States.” In that Document, the authors noted the need to effect a transition from the existing loose cooperation system for managing cooperation and joint action in CARICOM to creation of a single economic and functional cooperation space with the necessary governance arrangements which would be advantageous to both Trinidad and Tobago and interested States in the South Eastern Caribbean. 

Pursuant to the Joint Declaration and further intergovernmental consultations, the Member States of the OECS agreed to support the Proposal.

PROJECT TEAM AND MANDATE

On September 4, 2008, the Trinidad and Tobago Cabinet agreed to the establishment of a Project Team with a mandate to prepare a proposal for the establishment of an Economic Union and appropriate political integration between Trinidad & Tobago and the Eastern Caribbean States that would ensure effective management and governance of:

• identified common economic, environmental and security spaces; and

• functional cooperative arrangements.

It was agreed that five persons should constitute the Project Team. The members of the Project Team include:

• Prof. Vaughan Lewis (Chairman) - Former Prime Minister of St. Lucia and Professor of International Relations at the Institute of International Relations, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

• Ambassador Dr. Cuthbert Joseph - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Legal Adviser to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago on International Law at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago 

• Sen. The Hon. Prof. Velma Newton - Independent Senator of Barbados and Librarian, Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados; Faculty of Law, UWI 

• Dr. Wayne Sandiford - Professor of Economics, School of Arts and Sciences, St. Georges University, True Blue, Grenada

• Ambassador Earl Huntley - CARICOM Representative to Haiti and formerly Ambassador of St. Lucia to the United Nations 

On May 24, 2009 the Team presented its Final Report to the four Signatory States of the Joint Declaration. The Chairman’s address to the CARICOM Heads of Government and the Final Report can be found below.