Were represented:

OECS

• Ms. Virgina CHARLES - Head (Trade Policy Unit)
• Ms. Lisa LOUIS- PHILLIP - Snr Programme Officer (OECS Regional Integration Unit)
• Ms. Turkessa ANTOINE - Legal Officer (Legal Unit)
• Ms. Lisa JAMES - Programme Officer (FCPMU)
• Ms. Turkessa BENJAMIN ANTOINE
• Ms. Yvonne AGARD Executive Director

Guadeloupe

• Ms. Catherine SARGENTI Président ACP Legal
• Mr. Mathias BINI Head Economic Department CCI IG

During her presentation, Ms. Catherine SARGENTI has traced the history of the OHADAC project, and has presented the challenges of implementing a harmonisation process for the Greater Caribbean.

She also took stock of the ACP Legal action since the launch of this project. Ms. SARGENTI recalled that the Interreg Steering Committee, -through its roadmap-, recommends two lines of work for the OHADAC:

• The structuring of a Caribbean network of partners around this project, especially National Chapters;
• The identification of legal rules governing business law in the Greater Caribbean and conducting a comparative study of these legal regimes;

The objective of this approach is firstly, awareness and mobilization of the greatest number of partners and secondly a perfect knowledge of legal rules prior to the definition of a model law which can enhance in Greater Caribbean the settlement of commercial disputes.

M. BINI has talk about the macro-economic constraints that hamper economic integration in the Caribbean; it also gave some indication of the potential and prospects of integration.

The OECS partners & representatives confirmed that:

• they have realized the importance of this project for the Greater Caribbean;
• They pledged to mobilize experts around this project;
• They suggested to Ms. SARGENTI to come back soon to St. Lucia for a newpresentation of this project to an enlarged Committee;
• Finally, they wish to have a clear idea of the number of private law disputes identifiedin the Greater Caribbean.

Mathias Bini
m.bini@pointe-a-pitre.cci.fr