Premier of Montserrat, Reuben T. Meade, addressed the opening ceremony of the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on Wednesday evening. Speaking at the Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in Bridgetown, Barbados, Premier Meade, the newest elected Caribbean leader, wasted no time in calling for decisive action to strengthen regional integration and improve the effectiveness of CARICOM institutions.
Bringing greetings from the people of Montserrat, Premier Meade acknowledged CARICOM’s longstanding commitments to enhancing free movement within the region but pointed out that several agreed-upon policies remain unimplemented.
“We as CARICOM heads decided to enable CARICOM nationals to use driver’s licenses or other forms of government-issued photo identification for travel within the region. This has still not been put into effect by all of our member states,” he stated. “In like manner, a decision was taken to allow CARICOM nationals the use of their national driver’s licenses to drive in any member state. This also has not been implemented by all member states.”
He urged CARICOM leaders to address bureaucratic hurdles that inconvenience travelers, particularly CARICOM nationals, citing cumbersome airport entry procedures. “Why are we overburdening those arriving at our airports with paperwork requiring them to copy passport information onto an ID card, be it electronic or paper? I’m sure this is something that can be done in a more automated manner,” he asserted.
Premier Meade also raised concerns about high airport taxes, which he described as a barrier to regional travel. “This is an economic hindrance to our people moving freely across the region, as oftentimes the taxes can be more than the advertised price of the tickets. Free movement of our people should be as free as possible,” he urged.
As the leader of Montserrat—the only British Overseas Territory that is a full CARICOM member—Premier Meade highlighted the inequities in regional funding allocation. “When most regional project funds are allocated to CARICOM, even from our so-called colonial masters, the British, we in Montserrat are excluded, even though we are fully paid up in our contributions. We don’t owe CARICOM a penny.” He called for all member states to receive equal participation in regional projects.
On economic matters, he questioned the continued use of Gross National Income (GNI) as a measure for development assistance, noting that the region’s vulnerability to hurricanes and other natural disasters can set back economies by years. “We must use the vulnerability index to make measurement more realistic,” he suggested, referencing Montserrat’s unique financial dependency on the UK government.
Premier Meade further challenged CARICOM to review its institutions and assess whether they are delivering tangible benefits to the region’s people. “Can we truly say that CARICOM works for us, or is even understood by the person on the bus from Bridgetown to Oistins, or from Roseau to Grand Bay, or from Salem to St. John’s?”
Calling for a pragmatic approach to regional governance, he emphasised the need for efficient decision-making and institutional restructuring. “In this economic landscape, annual contributions to CARICOM are becoming increasingly difficult to satisfy for many of us, and we are forced to question the value received. If institutions are no longer relevant, they should be amputated now.”
Concluding his address, Premier Meade called for bold leadership to strengthen CARICOM’s effectiveness. “As we gather as leaders, let us focus on effective and impactful decision-making that brings benefits to all our peoples across the Caribbean community. Long live CARICOM, and may God continue to bless us all.”
The opening ceremony featured speeches from Barbados’ Prime Minister and CARICOM Chair, Mia Mottley; immediate past Chair, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell of Grenada; CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett; United Nations Secretary-General, H.E. António Guterres, and European Commission President, H.E. Ursula von der Leyen. Heads of Government are also expected to engage with other distinguished guests, including Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland, Caribbean Development Bank President Mr. Daniel Best, Afreximbank President H.E. Professor Benedict Oramah, and Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) Executive President Mr. Sergio Díaz-Granados.
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