(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana)     The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continues its drive to establish a single economic space through the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). A regional consultation to consider draft model legislation to address legislative gaps common to all Member States opens today, 8 September 2014, in Barbados.
The two-day consultation, hosted by the CARICOM Secretariat, aims  to ensure that there is harmonised legislation across Member States, compliant with CARICOM Single Market regimes. The initiative is funded with assistance from the Canadian government under the CARICOM Trade and Competitiveness Project (CTCP).
Leading up to this regional consultation, national consultations on the draft legislation were conducted from April to July 2014 in CARICOM Member States. Consultancy support provided by ACE International Consultants in collaboration with UWI Consulting and Nex resulted in draft model legislation, to correct the gaps found in Member States. Some of the legislative areas being reviewed are the CARICOM Skilled Nationals Act, the Movement of Factors Act and the Immigration Acts of Member States. Seven drafts will be tabled for discussion. The revised drafts will be considered by the Community’s Ministerial Organs before being adopted as model CARICOM legislation by the Legal Affairs Committee.  
Senior legal officers and other relevant personnel from CARICOM Member States will participate in the regional consultation which ends on Tuesday, September.
The Community Strategic Plan identifies the implementation and use of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy as fundamental to the achievement of sustained economic development for the Caribbean Community.