Wednesday, January 09, 2002 - An OECS Prime Ministerial Committee charged with the responsibility of steering moves toward the passage of legislation which will facilitate the free movement of nationals of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States among the eight-member states met in St. Lucia on Wednesday.
The Committee, established at the July 2001 meeting of the OECS Heads of Authority has been meeting regularly and collaborating with the OECS secretariat. Wednesday’s meeting attempted to fine-tune a number of issues in preparation for a January 30 - 31 meeting of OECS Heads in Anguilla. OECS heads will receive a progress report on the work of the committee in advancing the integration process.
The three- member committee, St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Honourable Dr. Kenny Anthony, St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister Honourable Dr. Ralph Gonzalves and Dominica’s Prime Minister Honourable Pierre Charles, examined issues such as the proposed OECS identification card and passport.
According to Prime Minister Anthony one issue that needs further clarification is the language of the proposed legislation and how it relates to existing immigration laws in St. Lucia.