Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged his regional colleagues to make haste and fully implement the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
He made the call yesterday as he contributed to discussions on the CSME during the first plenary session at the 38th meeting of Heads of Government of CARICOM in Grenada.
“The true expression of the realization of the integration dream is to get the CSME going, and we have to have the resolve as leaders to do this,” he urged. “It is how our people will experience true development and prosperity. And so, Jamaica wants to urge members to seriously put our efforts and commitment behind the CSME.”
Holness said regional leaders have been speaking about implementing a CSME for too long with little action.
He said only three countries can truly claim to have compliance in adopting the CSME, while for many it is a dream not realized and even denied.
“We should all make the commitment and redouble our efforts to have compliance toward creating the real CSME. Otherwise, the reality is that we will keep meeting and eventually it will wither away,” said Holness during the first working session with regional leaders.
The leaders meet in caucus today and will discuss several matters of regional importance, including CARICOM’s response to Great Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, as well as the situation in Venezuela, among other matters. (Caribbean360.com)
