Caricom leader heralds Single Market
Caribbean Community Secretary-General Charles Court said in a New Year's message that he has high hopes for the start of the Caricom Single Market that took effect January 1.
'This is a very significant milestone in the journey on which the Founding Fathers of CARIFTA embarked over a generation ago,' he commented. 'Having as a people taken that giant step to forge a Single Market and Economy, unprecedented among developing countries, it is incumbent on us to discharge our responsibilities with diligence, urgency and sensitivity, to ensure effective implementation.'
He added that 'apart from consolidating the fledgling Single Market, this year we are determined to press on and complete the framework for the Single Economy by 2008. To achieve this however, a lot of dedicated work and intense collaboration among the institutions of the Community and involving all sectors of the society–government, private sector, labor and civil society'lie ahead of us.'
Formal creation of the Single Market is the first step before enacting detailed elements of the agreement in the year ahead.