President Jagdeo wants the CARICOM region to extend the same kind of commitments it is prepared to give to the European Union (EU) and within the same time-frame to CARICOM endeavours.
He told a news conference yesterday that he is concerned that for nine years, in his capacity as a Head of Government, discussions have been ongoing about the evolution of power to Caribbean Community (CARICOM) organs, so that they can fast-track binding decisions on the whole community. President Jagdeo wants the CARICOM region to extend the same kind of commitments it is prepared to give to the European Union (EU) and within the same time-frame to CARICOM endeavours.

He told a news conference yesterday that he is concerned that for nine years, in his capacity as a Head of Government, discussions have been ongoing about the evolution of power to Caribbean Community (CARICOM) organs, so that they can fast-track binding decisions on the whole community.

“We never agreed to this, and are not close to agreeing to it, and in a matter of a very short space of time we have agreed that the council that would be set up to administer the EPA agreement, that their decisions would be binding and a party to this agreement.

“So we gave basically supernatural powers to the Commission with the EU, but we are unprepared to give it to our own regional integration movement which would have fast-tracked many of the decision making and decision implementation,” he argued..

Restating his hope, the President said the region should work to strengthen CARICOM and not weaken it.

source: guyanachronicle