Castries, St. Lucia, September 12th 2008: - OECS Heads of Government have thrown their full support behind a move to have Trinidad and Tobago become a part of an OECS Economic Union within the next two years

The Heads met in St. Lucia on September 11th to discuss the implications of a Declaration signed by Trinidad and Tobago and three OECS Member States – Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines - to pursue an Economic Union by 2011 and deeper political integration by 2013.

Heads noted earlier discussions on the part of the OECS to formulate a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen and guide the relations between the OECS and Trinidad and Tobago.  Heads agreed that the OECS Member States will continue to pursue their current goal of formation of an OECS Economic Union by 2009.  Trinidad and Tobago is expected to become a member of the Economic Union by 2011.  The OECS Heads are due to meet with the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister the Honorable Patrick Manning on October 23rd, in St. Kitts and Nevis to continue the discussions on the way forward.

OECS Member States are currently in the process of rolling out a series of national consultations on the proposed OECS Economic Union.  National launches have already taken place in Montserrat, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the other Member States have given commitments to stage their launches in the coming months.  The consultations are providing the people of the region with an opportunity to comment on and make inputs into a draft OECS Economic Treaty. The amended draft Treaty will go before national parliaments in Member States for ratification.

Heads told a post meeting press briefing that increasingly challenging global economic conditions make this an opportune time to take the step to expand the  OECS group, a move they expect to further strengthen both the OECS and Trinidad and Tobago.

The OECS Member States are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.