The Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines says a lack of leadership is holding back integration within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).Dr Ralph Gonsalves expressed his frustration with the pace of integration in an interview with the Caribbean Media corporation (CMC).
"We need serious leadership in CARICOM," he told CMC, adding, "I say this without any water in my mouth, we have not been having serious leadership in CARICOM."
However Gonsalves did not point his finger at anyone. He said CARICOM can learn from the progress being made by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
The regional grouping recently signed a new treaty establishing an economic union within the sub-region.
CARICOM countries have been working towards a fully-functional Single Market and Economy (CSME) by 2015 but have not made signficant progress in that direction.
The new OECS treaty provides for improved governance arrangements and deepened functional cooperation among member states and includes provisions outlining the economic union "which goes beyond the CSME", Gonsalves said.
"It’s easy to go beyond the CSME simply because we already have a common currency and a single court," he noted.
Gonsalves said the OECS Economic Union will serve to strengthen the CSME process,adding that the OECS union provides "an avenue to go forward with many more states to do deeper integration".
CARICOM leaders meet in Montego Bay, Jamaica from July 4-7 for their annual summit at which they are expected to discuss how to take forward the program for the CSME.
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