Saint Lucia pushes the pedal to grant CARICOM nationals contingent rights
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Saint Lucia pushes the pedal to grant CARICOM nationals contingent rights |
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Contact: Shannon Lebourne
Wednesday 21 September 2011 – As a signatory to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas Saint Lucia continues to take decisive steps to ensure the full implementation of Contingent Rights with the staging of a National Consultation on Wednesday September 21.
Contingent Rights are rights which are granted to a CARICOM national and his or her spouse and immediate dependent family member, if the principal beneficiary has exercised the right of establishment, the provision of services, the movement of capital or the free movement of skills.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Consumer Affairs Brenda Yorke, says there is an urgent need for the establishment of a Protocol on Contingent Rights to guarantee the sustainability of the CSME.
“Article 239 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas has provided for the introduction of a Protocol on Rights Contingent on establishment. However this is one of the areas that still requires a development of a policy with the ultimate objective of establishing a Protocol to supplement the existing Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. “ A major driving force behind the urgent need for a Protocol on Contingent Rights is the fact that some member states have become increasingly concerned about the potential and actual difficulties being created by persons moving into the region to enjoy rights provided under the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.”
Mrs. Yorke says the protocol must be shaped to clearly outline Contingent Rights, such as the right to public housing and the right to citizenship, and safeguard measures that a CARICOM member state can adopt if it can prove that the well-being of its citizens are being adversely affected by the implementation of any of the articles addressed in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
Wednesday's consultation brought together key partners from public and private sector organizations to review the Draft Protocol on Contingent Rights and was a collaborative effort between the CARICOM's Secretariat CSME Unit and Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Consumer Affairs. |
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