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The CCJ: an affirmation of “our Independence and Sovereignty.”


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Friday, July 02, 2004 - Jamaican Prime Minister P J Patterson, in his address to the Joint Session of Parliament on July 1, 2004, in Castries stated that the next big step for Regional Development related to the implementation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

According to Prime Minister Patterson, the CSME provide an expanded “domestic market”, a building block for CARICOM integration into the wider trade arrangements, such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The Community arrangement enabled individual countries, such as St. Lucia and Jamaica to overcome some of the challenges of small size, by pooling resources and coordinating positions.

The Jamaican Prime Minister stated that an important arm of CSME was the provision for the establishment of a Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). He then commended St. Lucia for having been one of the first member states to have passed the enabling legislation, whereas in Jamaica, debates were still ongoing.

Mr. Patterson agreed with St Lucian Prime Minister, Kenny Anthony that the CCJ was an “affirmation of our independence and sovereignty.” Prime Minister Patterson said that Caribbean territories could not continue to rely on others to determine and interpret their own Laws and Constitutions. He pointed out further, that there was no viable alternative to the CSME and the CCJ, and that he looked forward to the implementation of the CCJ later this year, and to the full implementation of the CSME by 2005.

Prime Minister Patterson assured that he would continue these discussions with his colleague heads at the upcoming CARICOM summit in Grenada. He revealed that the agenda for this meeting included issues pertaining to the Region’s future relations with Haiti and a review of the operations of the CARICOM Task Force responsible for the coordination of assistance to the people of that nation.
 

 


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