The Caribbean Community and Common Market or CARICOM was established by the Treaty of Chaguaramas which came into effect on August 1, 1973. The first four signatories were Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, and it was organized: "To provide dynamic leadership and service, in partnership with Community institutions and Groups, toward the attainment of a viable, internationally competitive and sustainable Community, with improved quality of life for all."

In 2001, the heads of government signed a Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, thus clearing the way for the transformation of the Common Market aspect of CARICOM.

The leaders agreed to create the Common Single Market and Economy (CSME ). It will come into effect on February 19, 2005 for Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

The three countries had originally set January 5, 2005 as the date of signing the agreement relating to the CSME, instead the ceremony has been rescheduled to coincide with the February 19 inauguration of the new CARICOM-headquarters building at Liliendaal, in Guyana.

At the end of 2005, all of the other CARICOM members are supposed to join the CSME.

Currently CARICOM has 15 Full members:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Haiti (Provisional membership on 4 July 1998, full membership on 3 July 2002)
• Jamaica
• Montserrat
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• St. Lucia
• Suriname (July 4, 1995)
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago

There are five associate members:

• British Virgin Islands (July 1991)
• Turks and Caicos Islands (July 1991)
• Anguilla (July 1999)
• Cayman Islands (16 May 2002)
• Bermuda (2 July 2003)

See also: Trade bloc

External link

• The Community's Web site is http://www.caricom.org