Montserrat is included in a study of the Business Regulatory Environment of Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories.
Consultant Gilbert Addy is currently on island to look at Montserrat’s business environment as part of the project funded through the COSME Programme.
The COSME programme, funded by the European Union through the 10th EDF, seeks to increase the competitiveness of the Caribbean OCTs in general and their SMEs in particular.
According to a release from the COSME team, based on the methodology of the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Study, the COSME Doing Business study seeks to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the regulatory environment in each OCT in a few key areas, especially when compared to other OCTs and the world in general. The areas covered are the ease of starting a business, of registering property, of importing goods, of paying taxes and of complying with labor regulations. Important factors are the number of steps and the time required for completing each activity, and the cost and transparency related to each of the steps.
The study was launched in St. Maarten and included input from and an exchange of ideas between the Minister of Economics, Traffic and Telecommunication, Mrs. Ingrid Arrindell and the consultants Huib Poot and Tamira La Cruz. The study is also being carried out in Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barth’s, the British Virgin Islands, Turks & Caicos, the Cayman Islands, Anguilla and Montserrat. When completed in the second half of 2016, the results will be shared with the countries.
The EU-funded COSME Programme was designed to strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises throughout the 12 Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories. Persons interested in learning more about COSME can visit www.cosmeprogramme.org.
