Talks on Common Customs Tariffs for OECS Recommences in Antigua

Discussions are continuing on the establishment of a Customs Union among member states of the sub-regional grouping

Yesterday Wednesday, representatives from both the private and public sectors were engaged in a two-day consultation with officials from the OECS Commission to discuss the establishment of the matter

The consultations began in Antigua and Barbuda and are expected to continue in other member states

Dominica Richardo James is leading the discussions. He is the Head of the Trade Policy Development Unit at the OECS Commission in St. Lucia.

James emphasized the importance of operationalizing the OECS Customs Union and ensuring the free circulation of goods to achieve the goals of the OECS Economic Union.

He acknowledged that significant progress has been made in the past towards this goal, but various challenges have slowed down the process.

“Since the work began in 2011, there had been work done, and there was a momentum towards establishing the Customs Union but between 2016 and 2020 that momentum slowed. We had the hurricane in 2017 and COVID-19 which caused disruption,” he said

The OECS Commission aims to re-energize and revitalize the push towards establishing the Customs Union through these consultations in the seven Protocol Member states, starting in St. John’s.

James highlighted the critical nature of these consultations, noting that since work began in 2011 to establish a Customs Union with free circulation of goods, there has been momentum and consultations. However, between 2016 and 2020, this momentum slowed down due to various reasons.

The commission now seeks to regain momentum and move forward with the establishment of the Customs Union.

In addition to discussing the establishment of the Customs Union, the consultations will also involve updating the roadmap and setting new timelines for its implementation.

This process will likely be lengthy, as it requires harmonizing custom legislations and obtaining approval from trade ministers in the sub-region, followed by final approval from the highest decision-making body within the grouping, the OECS Authority.