The Regional Stakeholder Consultation for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) opens here today at the Ramada Princess Hotel and will see the participation of Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and former Jamaican Prime Minister Mr. Bruce Holding.

The two-day consultation will be hosted by CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on behalf of the lead Head of Government for the CSME). It will see the examination of CSME and its implementation as currently configured and identify what is necessary to make it more effective.

The findings and recommendations from the consultation are intended to be considered by the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) and also to inform the review of the CSME being undertaken by the CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government which will continue in a Special Session at its upcoming meeting next month.

The consultation will also, through a series of panels, determine what CSME objectives and priority measures should be; a more and effective CSME; the Free Movement of Persons, Public Awareness, and Labour and the Private Sector. The first session will be facilitated by Dr. Gonsalves and Mr. Golding who will engage in a high-level session focused on making the CSME more effective.

Following the high-level session, a series of panels will discuss whether the CSME as currently configured sufficiently supports sustainable growth and development and the free movement of skills and persons as an integrating measure among other areas. The consultation is facilitated with the assistance of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).