CARICOM Report: Progress and Challenges of The Integration Agenda

Abstract

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was established in 1973 as a customs union and nowadays consists of 15 member countries. CARICOM includes member and non-members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), an economic union with free movement of people and goods, a single currency, and a common central bank. This report is the third in a series of INTAL publications on regional integration on the CaribbeanREPORT Community and covers the period 2005 to 2020. After a brief background to the CARICOM integration project and a look at the economy and international trade, this report focuses on the main issues and developments relating to the deepening of integration within CARICOM and crucial relationships with external partners. The final section concludes with an assessment of the short-term adverse impacts of the pandemic and summarizes a set of recommendations to tackle the main issues.