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The Greater
Caribbean This Week: You Can’t Get There From Here |
September 1,
2007: Few will argue that, in the Greater Caribbean, a state of affairs wherein
intraregional investments and trade in goods and services that still represent
less than 8% of our global figure is appalling.
Fewer still would disagree that tourism continues to be the most important
sources of foreign direct investment and a significant provider of employment
(about 900.000 jobs) in the region. In fact, recent findings argue that, though
there is a growing role for remittances in many of our economies, the Caribbean
is still four times more dependent on tourism than any other region of the
world.
And absolutely no one, I am sure, would deny that something must be done about
the cost of imported goods, particularly food, and the ever increasing cost and
ever decreasing quality of flying within and into our region. |
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Though we have fortunately moved away from the traditional wisdom which blamed
the maritime and air industries for all our transport woes, the fact remains
that, tariff barriers aside, it is in transport where governments and all
stakeholders can make the most significant impact upon meaningful integration in
the Greater Caribbean.
The CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting held in Barbados in July resolved to
develop and implement a regional air and maritime transportation policy designed
to create affordable, reliable and safe intra-regional transportation services.
Speaking at the Meeting, the Prime Ministers of Barbados and Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines exhorted the heads to take a more collaborative approach in
relation to air and maritime transport.
In its policy to “Unite the Caribbean by Air and Sea” the ACS recognised the
need to address the dramatic situation of transport in the region which
eventually led to the negotiation of the Air Transport Agreement (ATA) and to
the implementation of projects to address the current situation of our maritime
shipping infrastructure and other arrangements.
It is important to note that, with the recent finalization of internal
ratification requirements by Cuba and Venezuela, the ATA is one country away
from coming into force. The agreement has the potential to become the basis for
a Greater Caribbean air transport system much larger than the sum of its parts
and which, many agree, would provide the benefits of a regional airline whilst
promoting economic growth and trade integration without the need for major State
subsidy. The new system would also play a crucial role in addressing the
situation of the outrageous air costs encouraged in great part by the lack of
competition.
However, the bulk of goods in the Greater Caribbean is transported by ship, so
it is in maritime transport that the greatest benefits from could be realized.
Caribbean ports do not lack overall capacity, nor is the number of carriers
insufficient for present needs. Instead, harmonized regulatory and legal reform
is needed to create incentives to improve administrative practices, stimulate
investment to modernize existing facilities, and ensure efficient pooling of
resources in this area. Improved data collection and dissemination is urgently
needed.
Only through permanent and inclusive regional cooperation that takes into
account all the stakeholders can we hope to have air and maritime policies that
can reflect all our needs and harness all our abilities.
Luis Carpio is the Director of Transport and Natural Disasters of the
Association of Caribbean States.
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