Caribbean community

In the field of economics, it is planned to ensure the economic rapprochement of the CARICOM countries by eliminating customs duties and quantitative restrictions on imports; establishing a common customs regime ; pursuing a common trade policy and a common agricultural policy; coordination of monetary and financial policies; the elimination of restrictions on the free movement of persons , capital and services; cooperation in the field of infrastructure, tourism, transport and communications.

During the existence of the Caribbean Free Trade Association, customs barriers and quantitative restrictions on imports of the vast majority of locally produced goods were lifted. By the time CARICOM was established, nearly 90% of mutual trade was exempted from customs duties. The Chaguaramas Treaty provided for the abolition of customs duties on almost all goods except a limited group included in the list of exceptions. For less developed CARICOM countries, a ten-year deadline has been set for full trade liberalization. It was envisaged to introduce in 1985 a common customs tariff in relation to “third” countries ^[2] .

As of 2005, 15 states were full members of the Caribbean Community and the common market:

• Antigua and Barbuda (joined on July 4, 1974)

• Bahamas (joined July 4, 1983) - are members of the community, but do not participate in programs within the common market

• Barbados (joined on August 1, 1973)

• Belize (joined May 1, 1974)

• Dominica (joined May 1, 1974)

• Grenada (joined May 1, 1974)

• Guyana (joined on August 1, 1973)

• Haiti (temporary member of the community since July 4, 1998, permanent member of the community since July 2, 2002)

• Jamaica (joined on August 1, 1973)

• Montserrat (territory of Great Britain, joined on May 1, 1974)

• Saint Kitts and Nevis (joined on July 26, 1974)

• Saint Lucia (joined May 1, 1974)

• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (joined May 1, 1974)

• Suriname (joined on July 4, 1995)

• Trinidad and Tobago (joined on August 1, 1973)

As of 2005, the status of associate members of CARICOM was possessed by:

• British Virgin Islands (July 1991)

• Turks and Caicos Islands (July 1991)

• Anguilla (July 1999)

• Cayman Islands (May 16, 2002)

• Bermuda (July 2, 2003)

Observer countries in the community in 2010 were :

• Aruba

• Curacao

• Bonaire

• Colombia

• Dominican Republic

• Mexico

• Puerto Rico

• Venezuela

The most active are Mexico , Venezuela and Colombia .

The supreme body of the association is the conference of heads of state, the executive bodies are the Council of Ministers and the General Secretariat, as well as standing committees and specialized working groups. The headquarters is located in Georgetown ( Guyana ).

The CARICOM community, in fact, the Caribbean Community and Common Market , was founded by the Chaguaramos Treaty , which entered into force on August 1, 1973 ^[3] . Initially, four countries drafted and signed the treaty - Barbados , Jamaica , Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago .

Legally, CARICOM was declared the successor of the CARIFTA ( Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA)), which was established in 1965-1972 by the English-speaking Caribbean after the dissolution of the West Indies , which existed from January 3, 1958 to May 31, 1962.

• In July-August 1990, at a meeting of CARICOM Heads of State and Government, decisions were made to accelerate integration. The countries agreed to introduce common tariffs on imports of goods from third countries, that is, the creation of a customs union, the abolition of all non-tariff barriers to trade in goods produced within the subregion, the creation of a common market with free movement of capital, with a common monetary unit, an agreed financial policy, regarding foreign investment.
• Since January 1991, the single external tariff (ЕВТ) has replaced the system of quantitative restrictions on imports as the main tool for protecting the CARICOM domestic market.
• In October 1992, at a special meeting of the heads of government, a schedule for phased reduction of EBT was approved starting in January 1993. It was assumed that by 1998 the maximum rate of import duties on agricultural goods, clothing, finished industrial products, the need for which can be satisfied due to domestic production, it will be 20% compared to 45% in 1992 (by December 1995, the upper limit of EBT was reduced to 30%). The minimum EBT rate is 5% (0-5% for the least developed countries).
• On July 05, 2005, at the XXII CARICOM Heads of State Conference, held in Nassau , the updated Chagauram Treaty was signed, which provided for the creation of the Caribbean Community, which included the CARICOM Single Economic and Market Space ( CARICOM Single Market and Economy) (CSME) ") ^[4] . The renewed treaty paved the way for transforming the idea of ​​a single Caribbean market into reality . Separate clauses of the treaty provided for the creation of the Supreme Caribbean Court of Internal Economic Disagreement among CARICOM members.
• Haiti's membership in CARICOM remained in doubt from February 29, 2004 until the beginning of June 2006 - due to the coup and the overthrow of President J. B. Aristide ^{[5] [6]} . CARICOM stated that no democratically elected leader of CARICOM could be “overthrown”. The 14 remaining full members of CARICOM were looking for an opportunity to reconcile the ousted president with the opposition, which provoked a sharp protest from the head of the provisional government of Haiti, Gerard Latorte , who announced in protest about Haiti's intention to secede from CARICOM. In response, CARICOM structures suspended the participation of representatives of Haiti in meetings of the executive bodies of the community ^[7] . After the presidential election in Haiti, the winner of which was Rene Preval , Haiti's membership was renewed and at the July meeting of the CARICOM Council of Ministers, Monsieur Reval contacted him with an official address.
• Since 2013, a special partnership agreement has been in force between the CARICOM (together with the Dominican Republic ) and the EU , signed in 2008 and known as CARIFORUM ^[8] . The agreement gives equal rights to the EU and CARIFORUM members in the field of investment and trade ^[8] .
• The population of the CARICOM countries is 16 million 743 thousand people ^[9] .

• Union of South American Nations
• Andean community
• Mercosur
• Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America
• Caribbean Court

• caricom.org - The Caribbean Community Official Site
• CARICOM (Revised Treaty) (neopr.) .