Sacha Vaccianna, trade expert with the Shipping Association of Jamaica, addresses participants at the 37th annual general meeting of the Caribbean Shipping Association, held recently in Santo Domingo. Vaccianna's presentation was entitled 'CSME - Are we ready? Implications for the Maritime Sector'. - Contributed

Sacha Vaccianna, trade expert with the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ), is urging the Caribbean maritime sector to "lobby for immediate action on a CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Regional Policy".

The SAJ official advocated for "regional incentives to promote the development of regionally owned shipping and for harmonisation of shipping legislation" within the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Ms. Vaccianna made this call during her presentation entitled 'CSME - Are we ready? Implications for the Maritime Sector' at the Caribbean Shipping Association's (CSA) annual general meeting, held recently in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic. She also encouraged the region's maritime industry leaders to lobby for:

The removal of remaining restrictive legislative and administrative practices to doing business.

Policies that give more favourable treatment to CSME services and less favourable treatment to non-CSME competing services.

Free movement of skilled persons to include pilots and seafarers.

Change in local cabotage laws to make CARICOM-owned lines benefit from equal treatment/access to cargo.

In her well-received presentation to the more than 200 participants at the conference, Ms. Vaccianna told the shipping executives that "although the CSME is not a panacea, there is no doubt that a larger market will benefit those who trade in it."

She also pointed to the experience of the European Union in which the creation of a single economic space has provided immense benefits to Europeans.

Looking at Ireland's experience as part of the EU, Ms. Vaccianna showed how the EU's regional policy played an important part in the transformation of the Irish economy and stated that the Irish experience contains many lessons for CARICOM states.