by BEN MEADE

BRADES, Montserrat – Chief Minister Dr Lowell Lewis is optimistic that Montserrat can become fully integrated into the CARICOM Single Market (CSM) by as early as March 2008.

However, this British Overseas Territory requires permission from the United Kingdom before it can attempt to sign on to the CSM. Last week Lewis met with British officials in London to make the case for Montserrat to participate in the regional integration movement.

"I am hoping that they will give us a response sometime in January and that our local government can ratify that decision so that we can be in time to sign the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas in March next year at the next meeting of the Heads of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

"If we miss that deadline then we have the option to try and get that completed in time for the July meeting of the Heads of Government," he told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

Founding member

Montserrat is a founding member of the CARICOM and the Chief Minister said it was against that backdrop that his government is doing everything in its power not to be left out of the CSM.

"For some of us it is a matter of pride. Our predecessors have fought for regional integration and for the right for Montserrat to be a founding member and a continued member of CARICOM and my generation is not going to stand by and throw what our previous leaders have fought for," he told CMC.

"It is a question of working out how to work with our neighbours while at the same time not compromise the contingent reliability of the British," he said.

Despite the Chief Minister's optimism, he has to wait for approval from the British government, which has been reluctant to give up some powers and the Legislative Council is yet to debate or pass any supporting legislation. CMC understands that any matters related to regional integration are not on the agenda for the next sitting of the Legislative Council on December 22.

CSME benefits

The CARICOM Single Market and Economy is intended to benefit the people of the 15-member Community by providing more and better opportunities to produce and sell the region's goods and services and to attract investment. It will create one large market among the participating member states.

The main objectives of the CSME are: full use of labour (full employment) and full exploitation of the other factors of production (natural resources and capital); competitive production leading to greater variety and quantity of products and services to trade with other countries. It is expected that these objectives will in turn provide improved standards of living and work and sustained economic development.

All member states of CARICOM, with the exception of Haiti and The Bahamas, have already signed on to the CSM, one component of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. The Single Economy component is not expected to become functional before 2015. (CMC)