Passport A common OECS Passport was originally planned for 1 January 2003 but its introduction was delayed. At the 38th OECS Authority Meeting in January 2004, the Secretariat was mandated to have the two companies expressing an interest in producing the common passport (
De La Rue Identity Systems and the
Canadian Banknote Company) make presentations at the next (39th) Authority Meeting. At the 39th Meeting the critical issue of the relationship between the OECS passport and the
CARICOM passport was discussed As the CARICOM Passport was first introduced in January 2005 (by Suriname) then the idea of the OECS Passport was abandoned. Had the passport been introduced however it would not have been issued to
Economic Citizens within the OECS states. It would also be unknown if the islands under British sovereignty would join the scheme.
Economic union The decision to establish an
economic union was taken by OECS Heads of Government at the 34th meeting of the Authority held in Dominica in July 2001. At the 35th meeting of the Authority in Anguilla in January 2002, the main elements of an economic union implementation project were endorsed. The project was expected to be implemented over a two-year period with seven of the nine OECS member states (i.e.
Antigua and Barbuda,
Dominica,
Grenada,
Montserrat,
St. Kitts and Nevis,
St. Lucia and
St. Vincent and the Grenadines) participating in the economic union initiative. The remaining two member states,
Anguilla and the
British Virgin Islands, would not have participated immediately, but would have requested time to consider the issue further. Among the elements of the project was the creation of a technical committee for a draft OECS Economic Union Treaty. This technical committee was inaugurated on 4 May 2004 and began designing the draft Treaty.
OECS Economic Treaty The new OECS Economic Union Treaty was finally presented at the 43rd OECS Meeting in St. Kitts on 21 June 2006. The Authority requested changes to allow a role for national parliamentary representatives (both government and opposition) of the Member States in the form of a regional Assembly of Parliamentarians. This body, it was felt, was necessary to act as a legislative filter to the Authority in its law making capacity. The Heads further directed that the Treaty be reviewed by a meeting of members of the Task Force, Attorneys General, the draftsperson for the Treaty and representatives of the OECS Secretariat. The presentation of the Treaty at the Meeting was followed by the signing of a Declaration of Intent to implement the Treaty by the Heads of Government or their representatives (except that of the British Virgin Islands). It was agreed in the Declaration, that implementation of the Treaty would occur only after a year of public consultation, through a mass national and regional education programme with strong political leadership and direction. According to the Declaration, the Treaty was to be signed, and the Economic Union was to be established by 1 July 2007.
Revised treaty This intended deadline was missed, however, and after the signing of the
Revised Treaty of Basseterre Establishing the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Economic Union on 18 June 2010, the newest target date of 21 January 2011 was met when five of the six independent signatory Member States ratified the Treaty. These were Antigua and Barbuda (30 December 2010), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (12 January 2011), St. Kitts and Nevis (20 January 2011), Grenada (20 January 2011) and Dominica (21 January 2011). In order for the Treaty to have entered into force at least four of the independent Member States must have ratified it by 21 January 2011. Montserrat had received entrustments from the United Kingdom to sign the Treaty Following the need of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank to temporarily assume control of two indigenous commercial banks in Anguilla, the Chief Minister of Anguilla, Hubert Hughes, announced on 12 August 2013 that Anguilla will seek to join the OECS Economic Union as soon possible in order to fully participate in the strategy of growth conceived by the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (which was crafted within the context of the Economic Union). He was supported in his position by St. Lucia's Prime Minister, Dr. Kenny Anthony, who also called on Anguilla to join the Economic Union to complement its membership of the Currency Union.
Provisions of the Treaty The provisions of the Economic Union Treaty prior to its ratification were expected to include: • The free circulation of goods and trade in services within the OECS • Free movement of labour by December 2007 • The free movement of capital (via support of the money and capital market programme of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank) • A regional Assembly of Parliamentarians • A common external tariff Some of these provisions would already have been covered to some extent by the
CSME, but some, such as the Assembly of Parliamentarians, would be unique to the OECS. Although some of the provisions would seem to duplicate efforts by the CSME, the Declaration of Intent acknowledge the CSME and give assurance that the OECS Economic Union would not run counter to
CARICOM integration but that it would become seamlessly integrated into the CSME. To this end, the OECS Heads of Government agreed that steps should be taken to ensure that the OECS Economic Union Treaty would be recognised under the
Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, just as the original
Treaty of Chaguaramas had recognised the Treaty of Basseterre. This was achieved in 2013 at the Twenty-Fourth Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from 18–19 February 2013. At that conference CARICOM leaders adopted the OECS’ Revised Treaty of Basseterre into CARICOM’s Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves said would effectively give CARICOM member states the opportunity of integrating initially with the OECS and taking a seemingly quicker path to integration. In order to achieve this the Conference agreed that the Inter-Governmental Task Force (IGTF) revising the Treaty of Chaguaramas would recognise the provisions of the Treaty establishing the Economic Union of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The IGTF was mandated to refer back to the Conference at its next meeting on this issue. The Economic Union Treaty's provisions are now expected to establish a Single Financial and Economic Space within which goods, people and capital move freely; harmonize monetary and fiscal policies Member States are expected continue to adopt a common approach to trade, health, education and environment, as well as to the development of such critical sectors as agriculture, tourism and energy. The free movement of OECS nationals within the subregion is expected to commence in August 2011 after a commitment towards that goal by the Heads of Government at their meeting in May 2011. This was achieved on schedule with the six independent OECS members and later Montserrat with nationals being allowed to enter the participating Member States without hindrance and remain for an indefinite period in order to work, establish businesses; provide services or to reside. This is achieved by OECS nationals entering the special immigration lines for CARICOM nationals when traveling throughout the Economic Union and presenting a valid photo ID and completed Entry/Departure form whereupon the immigration officer shall grant the national entry for an indefinite period save where the national presents a security risk or where there exists some other legal basis for prohibiting entry. == Membership ==