By Staff Writer
ROSEAU, Dominica, Sept 9, CMC – Leaders of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) whose countries operate a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme are hoping to mount a “high-level mission” to Brussels later this month, Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said Wednesday.
The sub-regional leaders had in July announced plans for the mission after the European Union announced it would be moving towards ending the visa-free programme for the regional countries.
In July, the leaders of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Kitts and Nevis said they would undertake the mission “at the earliest appropriate opportunity” to engage directly with the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Council, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
“These engagements will seek to deepen mutual understanding of the unique vulnerabilities and development realities of small island developing states, to explore practical and mutually beneficial solutions to the issues identified by the European Union, and to strengthen the longstanding partnership between the European Union and the Eastern Caribbean.”
But Prime Minister Skerrit, speaking at a news conference here, told reporters that he would be holding discussions with his Antigua and Barbuda counterpart, Gaston Browne, later on Tuesday on the issue.
“But the plan was to have a meeting towards the end of September, and we are hoping that both sides can stick to keep looking at it, but we haven’t pinned down the date, a precise date yet,” Skerrit told reporters,
“But that was a discussion we had with the European Commission, the President of the Commission, on this matter,” Skerrit said, adding that he wanted to thank the European Union for its position on the matter.
“I want to publicly thank the European Commission. They have been very respectful, I must say, and I believe that they understand and appreciate the importance of the CBI programme to our economies, so they are very clear on this.
“Obviously, they have certain concerns, and we will continue to sit down with them to address those concerns, but I think so far it has been a very, it is profoundly mutually respectful, and the European Union is very understanding and appreciative of the importance of the programme to us, and so they have approached it from that perspective, and we are very grateful to them for that,” Skerrit said.
Under the CBI programme, foreign investors are granted citizenship of the island in return for making a substantial investment in the socio-economic development of the country.
Following a meeting held here in July, the sub-regional leaders reaffirmed the “strong and enduring partnership between our countries and the European Union, founded on mutual respect, shared democratic values, and a common commitment to international cooperation and sustainable development.
“We welcome continued dialogue with our European partners and remain committed to engaging constructively in addressing matters of mutual concern,” they said, noting that the establishment of the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority represents a major advancement in regional governance and oversight.
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