22 March 2017
O.E.C.S. to implement a Customs Union policy in member states
By DNO
The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (O.E.C.S.) has collaborated with multiple stakeholders on a national and regional level to implement an ‘overarching policy’ on its member states in the establishment of a customs union and free circulation of goods regime.
This policy, approved by the Regional Task Force and Fiscal Predations of goods, and the Economic Affairs Council of the O.E.C.S., seeks to outline the provisions for establishing a customs union as well as provisions pertinent to goods moving between member states, all as a means of being a trade facilitation mechanism.
Speaking at a press conference held on Tuesday March 21st at the OECS conference room, Program Officer at the OECS Commission situated in St. Lucia, Cosbert Woods, said that “significant strides” have been made in creating procedural requirements for such a venture.
“There are specific procedural requirements with respect to goods imported and exported from the Economic Union as well as goods traded between the particular member states,” he said.
According to Woods, having completed these requirements, “we are outlining the fields” across member states to sensitize the stakeholders on this overarching policy procedural requirements, and to gain feedback.
“As well as to get feedback from them in terms of the ability to implement the procedural requirements, their state of readiness, and any other issues at the national level that we need to take into consideration to finalizing these procedural requirements,” he said.
In detail, each member state must have a national working group on free circulation of goods that is responsible for spearheading national initiatives, according to Woods.
Another objective of the “mission” is to work closely with national working groups to ensure suitable stakeholders are involved.
“To ensure that information is filled up through the regional committees and task force, as well as member states have an opportunity to make sufficient input into any regional and policy documents that are being developed to guide a regional approach to facilitating free movement of goods,” he explained.
Woods stressed that “critical component” of this regime is capacity building among the customs departments and boarder control agencies.
“We have a number of regional sub committees that have been established namely; a subcommittee on customs management and operations, a subcommittee on port management, one on agricultural health and food safety and one on quality and standards,” he remarked.
While in Dominica, Woods and his team have met with the O.E.C.S. Commissioner, Ambassador Felix Gregoire, and have met with the private sector.
There are also plans to meet with the Agricultural Health and Food Safety Sector, and to conduct a session with various stake holders from the public and private sector which constitutes the national working group on free circulation.
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