Comparing and contrasting the CSME and EU

Jul 18, 2018 Letters

---

DEAR EDITOR,
Please permit me as I indulge in comparing and contrasting the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the European Union (EU).
I’ll start with the EU. The EU is a political and economic union of 28 member states – soon to be 27 with the imminent withdrawal of Great Britain – that are located primarily in Europe.
The EU has developed an internal singular market through standardised systems of laws that apply in all member states.
EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, service and capital within the internal market, enact legislation in justice and home affairs and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Within the Schengen Area passport controls have been abolished. A monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002 and is composed of 19 EU member states, which use the euro currency.
The European Union provides more foreign aid than any other economic union. Covering 7.3% of the world population, the EU in 2017 generated a nominal GDP of 19.67 trillion US dollars, constituting approximately 24.6% of global nominal GDP and 16.5% when measured in terms of purchasing power parity. Additionally, 27 out of 28 EU countries have a very high Human Development Index, according to the United Nations Development Programme.
As I highlighted earlier, Britain will be leaving the EU in March 2019. This is down to the arrogance of David Cameron. Say what you may about the EU, but it has been an economic and political success since member states all subscribed to it. I have experienced both the good and the bad of the EU, but EU member leaders all champion one cause – to make the EU a resounding success.
I will now turn to the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). The CSME is an integrated development strategy envisioned at the 10th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which took place in July 1990 in Grand Anse, Grenada. The Grand Anse Declaration had three key Features:
1. Deepening economic integration by advancing beyond a common market towards a Single Market and Economy.
2. Widening the membership and thereby expanding the economic mass of the Caribbean Community (e.g. Suriname and Haiti were admitted as full members in 1995 and 2002 respectively).
3. Progressive insertion of the region into the global trading and economic system by strengthening trading links with non-traditional partners.
What can the CSME learn from the EU? To begin with, the CSME is in its infancy. Still evolving. For it to be as successful as the EU, the 12 member state leaders need to buy into in and be prepared to sell it to their people.
I’ve lived in the UK for nearly 15 years and apart from the far right party, UKIP, our successive leaders have been promoting the EU. This does not mean that there aren’t problems with the EU, but member states work as a unit to resolve these issues. Comparing that to the evolving and now developing CSME, I’ve heard the Prime Minister of Antigua recently stating that Guyanese and Jamaican nationals are a burden to the Antiguan economy. A statement like that does not augur well for CSME.
How can we have free movement of people and goods when leaders are viewing member states as burdens? Should these leaders not be setting the tone for their nationals? Unfortunately, such utterances will only promote insularity among member states. We will never be a success like the EU.
Antigua is not an isolated state with this xenophobic view of integration. It was only recently I was speaking with a good friend in Trinidad. He is an Indo-Guyanese, and what he described to me made for very difficult listening. I will highlight some of his experiences and concerns by his employers.
– Lack of Equal Opportunity in terms of training, overseas training, sponsorship of training to local institutions
– Lack of promotion
– Different yardstick in performance measurement
– Unequal payment (lack of extra duty or additional duty allowance)
– Discrimination in the workplace
– Victimisation in the workplace
– Exclusion from committees where you can make a meaningful contribution
-Promotion of lesser qualified candidates ahead without an interview
-Nepotism and favouritism
– Daily reminder by his colleagues that his time is up.
Guyanese have also been having problems in Barbados, where quite a few were deported last year. As a matter of fact, discrimination against Guyanese has been a common problem throughout the Caribbean. None of our leaders, present and past seem to want to take an assertive stand against such action. This is very unfortunate.
I think for the CSME to be a success we need to move away from this insularity. I would humbly suggest that member states get active feedback from their nationals in foreign Caribbean islands. This will inform recommendations to make CSME better. I also believe like the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), we should develop a Caribbean Employment Tribunal that Caribbean nationals can apply to for employment redress.
I think we as a Caribbean community should see each other as one, as brothers and sisters; as common victims to European exploitation. Unless we do this, we are destined to be the Caribbean Community that always looks to the West for financial aid. That would be a shame, since we proudly boast of independence. With foreign aid comes foreign demands, which may not always be in our best interest.
Dr Mark Devonish MBBS MSc MRCP(UK)
Consultant Acute Medicine
Nottingham University Hospital
UK

---

---