A bigger CARICOM?

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - A report coming out of the recently concluded CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad & Tobago has indicated that regional leaders will be looking to expand the bloc to embrace more territories in the area. The impetus behind this suggestion is to seek ways to strengthen CARICOM, which, it has been acknowledged, is facing challenges. Despite these, the consensus is that the good far outweighs the bad. Some may suggest that it would be better to improve the sturdiness of the current structure before looking to add more weight, so to speak. After all, premature expansion could cause existing cracks to widen, rather than mend them. The member countries of CARICOM are still currently facing difficulties in advancing the integration movement. However, CARICOM Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque indicated at the start of last week’s meeting that “the Community is involved in a reform process to ensure that our arrangements are relevant and can deliver even more tangible benefits going forward”. It is our view that, if done correctly, the proposed expansion can indeed bring benefits to the regional grouping.