When was oecs established

Member States shall set up a Committee to make recommendations on the formation and implementation of a common agricultural policy. Such policy should include a harmonised approach on such matters as subsidies, price supports and market guarantees.

Member States shall keep such policy under constant review. The Committee shall comprise one representative from each Member State, and the services of experts from other appropriate bodies may be co-opted. The Council of Ministers shall consist of a representative at ministerial level of each of the Governments of Member States as members and each member shall have one vote. The Council of Ministers shall be the principal organ of the Common Market and shall be responsible for -.

The powers of the Common Market shall be vested in the Council of Ministers and the Council of Ministers may delegate to the Secretariat such powers as it thinks fit. In exercising its responsibility under paragraph 2 of this Article, the Council of Ministers may take decisions which shall be binding on all Member States and may make recommendations to Member States. Decisions and recommendations of the Council of Ministers shall be made by unanimous vote, except in so far as this Agreement provides otherwise.

Decisions or recommendations of the Council of Ministers shall be regarded as unanimous unless any Member State casts a negative vote. A decision or recommendation of the Council of Ministers pursuant to any such provision as aforesaid requires the affirmative votes of not less than two-thirds of all Member States, and reference in any such provision to a majority shall, in relation to the Council of Ministers be construed accordingly.

The Council of Ministers may, by its decision to confer authority under this Agreement, impose conditions to which such authority shall be subject. The expenses of administering the Common Market shall be borne by Member States in equal shares or in such other manner as the Council of Ministers may decide.

The Secretariat shall be the principal administrative organ of the Common Market and the Council of Ministers may entrust it, and may set up other organs, committees and bodies and entrust them, with such functions as the Council of Ministers considers necessary to assist it in accomplishing its tasks. Decisions of the Council of Ministers pursuant to this paragraph shall be made by majority vote. In order to ensure the adequate functioning of this Agreement, the Council of Ministers shall establish a Secretariat to administer the Common Market arrangements.

Within three months of the coming into force of this Agreement, the Council of Ministers shall approve rules governing the proper functioning of the Secretariat. If any Member State considers that any benefit conferred upon it by this Agreement or any objective of the Common Market is being, or, may be frustrated, and if no satisfactory settlement is reached between the Member States concerned, any of those Member States may refer the matter to the Council of Ministers.

The Council of Ministers shall promptly, by majority vote, make arrangements for examining the matter. Such arrangements may include a reference to an examining committee constituted in accordance with Article Before taking action under paragraph 3 of this Article, the Council of Ministers shall so refer the matter at the request of the Member State concerned.

Member States shall furnish all information which they can make available and shall lend their assistance to establish the facts. When considering the matter the Council of Ministers shall have regard to whether it has been established that an obligation under this Agreement has not been fulfilled and whether and to what extent any benefit conferred by this agreement or any objective of the Common Market is being or may be frustrated.

In the light of this consideration and of the report of any examining committee which may have been appointed, the Council of Ministers may, by majority vote, make to any Member State such recommendations as it considers appropriate.

If a Member State does not or is unable to comply with a recommendation made in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Article and the Council of Minister finds, by majority vote, that an obligation under this Agreement has not been fulfilled, the Council of Ministers may, by majority vote, authorise any Member State to suspend as regards the Member State which has not complied with the recommendations the application of such obligations under this Agreement as the Council of Ministers, by majority vote considers appropriate.

Any Member State may, at any time while the matter is under consideration, request the Council of Ministers to authorise as a matter of urgency, interim measures to safeguard its position.

If it is found by majority vote of the Council of Ministers that the circumstances are sufficiently serious to justify interim action, and without prejudice to any action which it may subsequently take in accordance with the preceding paragraphs of this Article, the Council of Ministers may, by majority vote authorise a Member State to suspend its obligations under this Agreement to such an extent and for such a period as the Council of Ministers, by majority vote considers appropriate.

The examining committee referred to in Article 20 shall consist of persons selected for their competence and integrity, who in the performance of their duties, shall neither seek nor receive instructions from any territory or from any authority or organisation other than the Common Market.

They shall be appointed, on such terms and conditions as may be decided, by majority vote of the Council of Ministers. In applying measures in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article, a Member State shall give like treatment to imports consigned from all Member States.

A Member State applying restrictions in accordance with sub-paragraph i of paragraph 1 of this Article shall notify them to the Council of Ministers, if possible before they come into force. The Council of Ministers may at any time consider those restrictions and may, by majority vote, make recommendations designed to moderate any damaging effect of those restrictions or to assist the Member State concerned to overcome its difficulties.

Before 1 st May, , if the Council of Ministers considers that some provision similar to those in paragraphs 1 to 3 of this Article will be required thereafter, it may decide that such provisions shall have effect for any period after that date. The Council of Ministers, shall seek to procure the establishment of such relationships with other international organisations as may facilitate the attainment of the objectives of the Common Market.

This Agreement shall be ratified by the Signatory States in accordance with their respective constitutional rules. The instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Government of Saint Lucia on or before the 28 th day of June, Any territory, thought it be not a signatory hereto, may participate in this Agreement, subject to prior approval of The Council of Ministers of that Territory's participation in this Agreement on terms and conditions decided by the Council of Ministers.

The instruments duly signifying the Agreement of the Government of the Territory to its participation in this Agreement on the terms and conditions decided as aforesaid shall be deposited with the Government of Saint Lucia which shall notify all other Member States.

This Agreement shall have effect in relation to such Territory, as, and from the time indicated in the decision of the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers may pursuant to any decision thereof in that behalf seek to procure the creation of an association consisting of Member States and any other state, union of territories, or international organisations and embodying such reciprocal rights and obligations, common actions, and special procedures as may be appropriate.

Any Member State may withdraw from participation in this Agreement provided that the Government thereof gives twelve months notice in writing to the Government of Saint Lucia which shall notify the other Member States. Except where provision for modification is made elsewhere in this Agreement, an amendment tot he provisions of the Agreement shall be submitted to the Governments of Member States for acceptance if it is approved by decision of the Council of Ministers, and it shall have effect provided it is accepted by all such Governments.

Instruments of acceptance shall be deposited with the Government of Saint Lucia which shall notify the other Member States. The legal capacity, privileges and immunities to be recognised and granted by the Member States in connection with the Common Market shall be laid down in a Protocol to this Agreement. The Council of Ministers, acting on behalf of the Common Market, may conclude with the Government of the State in which the headquarters will be situated an agreement relating to the legal capacity and the privileges and immunities to be recognised and granted in connection with the Common Market.

For the purpose of determining the origin of goods under Article 6 and for the application of that Article, the following Rules shall be applied. In determining the place of production of marine products and goods produced therefrom, a vessel of a Member State shall be regarded as part of that State. In determining the place from which goods have been consigned, marine products taken from the sea or goods produced thereform at sea shall be regarded as having been consigned from a Member State if they were taken by or produced in a vessel of a Member State and have been brought direct to the Market Area.

A vessel which is registered shall be regarded as a vessel of the Member State in which it is registered. Energy, fuel, plant, machinery and tools used in the production of goods within the Market Area, and materials used in the maintenance of such plant, machinery and tools, shall be regarded as wholly produced within the Market Area when determining the origin of those goods.

The term "producer" includes a grower and a manufacturer and also a person who supplies his goods otherwise than by sale to another person and to whose order the last process in the course of the manufacture of the goods is applied by that other person.

For the purposes of sub-paragraph a of paragraph 1 of Article 6, the following are among the products which shall be regarded as wholly produced within the Market Area: -. This amount shall also be taken to be the export price when the goods are not the subject of a sale. An unassembled or disassembled article which is imported in more than one consignment because it is not feasible for transport or production reasons to import it in a single consignment shall, if the importer so requests, be treated as one article.

For those products or industries where it would be impracticable for the producer physically to segregate materials of similar character but different origin used in the production of goods, such segregation may be replaced by an appropriate accounting system, which ensures that no more goods received Market Area tariff treatment than would have been the case if the producer had been able physically to segregate the materials.

Any such accounting system shall conform to such conditions as may be agreed upon by Member States concerned in order to ensure that adequate control measures will be applied. In the case of mixtures, not being groups, sets or assemblies of separate articles dealt with under Rule 4, a Member State may refuse to accept as being of Market Area origin any product resulting from the mixing together of goods which would qualify as being of Market Area origin with goods which would not so qualify, if the characteristics of the products as a whole are not essentially different from the characteristics of the goods which have been mixed.

In the case of particular products where it is, however, recognised by Member States concerned to be desirable to permit mixing of the kind described in the foregoing paragraph, such products shall be accepted as of Market Area origin in respect of such part thereof as may be shown to correspond to the quantity of goods of Market Area origin used in the mixing, subject to such conditions as may be agreed upon.

Where for the purposes of assessing customs duties a Member State treats goods separately from their packing, it may also, in respect of its imports consigned from another Member State, determine separately the origin of such packing. Where paragraph 1 of this Rule is not applied, packing shall be considered as forming a whole with the goods and no part of any packing required for their transport or storage shall be considered as having been imported from outside the Market Area, when determining the origin of the goods as a whole.

For the purpose of paragraph 2 of this Rule, packing with which goods are ordinarily sold by retail shall not be regarded as packing required for the transport or storage of the goods. A claim that goods shall be accepted as eligible for Market Area tariff treatment shall be supported by appropriate documentary evidence of origin and consignment. The evidence of origin shall consist of either -. These declarations, certificates and supplementary declarations shall be in such form as may be agreed by the Governments of all the Signatory States, and a copy of such Agreement shall be deposited with the Government of Saint Lucia by which certified copies shall be transmitted to all other signatory and participating States.

The agreed forms shall, for the purposes of paragraph 5 of Article 6 be deemed to form part of this Annex. The exporter may choose either of the forms of evidence referred to in paragraph 1 of this Rule.

Nevertheless the authorities of the country of exportation may require for certain categories of goods and evidence of origin shall be furnished in the form indicated in sub-paragraph b of that paragraph.

In cases where a certificate of origin is to be supplied by a governmental authority or an authorised body under sub-paragraph b of paragraph 1 of this Rule, that authority or body shall obtain a declaration as to the origin of the goods given by the last producer of the goods within the Market Area. The governmental authority or the authorised body shall satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of the evidence provided: where necessary they shall require the production of additional information, and shall carry out any suitable check.

If the authorities of the importing Member State so require, a confidential indication of the producer of the goods shall be given. Nominations of authorised bodies for the purpose of sub-paragraph b of paragraph 1 of this Rule, may be withdrawn by the exporting Member State if the need arises.

Each Member State shall retain, in regard its imports, the right of refusing to accept certificates from any authorised body which is shown to have repeatedly issued certificates in an improper manner, but such action shall not be taken without adequate prior notifications to the Exporting Member State of the grounds for dissatisfaction. In cases where the Member States concerned recognise that it is impracticable for the producer to make the declaration of origin specified in sub-paragraph a or paragraph 1 or in paragraph 3 of this Rule, the exporter may make that declaration in such form as those Member States may for the purpose specify.

The Council of Ministers may decide that further or different provisions concerning evidence of origin or of consignment shall apply to particular categories of goods or classes of transactions.

The importing Member State may as necessary require further evidence to support any declaration or certificate of origin furnished under Rule 8. The importing Member State shall not prevent the importer from taking delivery of the goods solely on the grounds that it requires such further evidence, but may require security for any duty or other charge which may be payable. Where, under paragraph 1 of this Rule, a Member State has required further evidence to be furnished, those concerned in another Member State shall be free to produce it to a governmental authority or an authorised body of the latter State, who shall, after thorough verification of the evidence, furnish an appropriate report to the importing Member State.

Where it is necessary to do so by reason of its legislation, a Member State may prescribe that requests by the authorities of importing Member States for further evidence from those concerned in the Member State shall be addressed to a specified governmental authority, who shall after thorough verification of the evidence furnish an appropriate report to the importing Member State. If the importing Member State wishes an investigation to be made into the accuracy of the evidence which it has received, it may make a request to that effect to the other Member state or States concerned.

Member States undertake to introduce legislation, making such provision as may be necessary for penalties against persons who, in their territory, furnish or cause to be furnished a document which is untrue in a material particular in support of a claim in another Member State that goods should be accepted as eligible for Market area tariff treatment.

The penalties applicable shall be similar to those applicable in cases of untrue declarations in regard to payment of duty on imports. A Member State may deal with the offence out of court, if it can be more appropriately dealt with by a compromise penalty or similar administrative procedure. A Member State shall be under no obligation to institute or continue court proceeding, or action under paragraph 2 of this Rule -.

These materials may always be regarded as originating wholly within the "Association Area", or, as the case may be when used in the state described in this list in a process of production within the "Common Market Area". Note : The classification used in this List is in accordance with the original Standard International Trade Classification. Ex Expanded metal of aluminium, copper and other non-ferrous base metals. To amend Article , c of the East Caribbean Common Market Agreement by deleting the figure 50 and substituting therefor the figure 60 to read as follows:.

Article 1 of the Agreement is amended by repealing paragraphs 2 and 3 and substituting therefor the following: -. The Members of the Common Market hereinafter referred to as "Member Territories" shall be the Territories on behalf of the Governments of which this Agreement is ratified in accordance with Article 24 and such other Territories as participate therein by virtue of Article The agreement is amended by deleting the words "Member State" wherever they occur in the text and substituting therefor the words "Member Territory".

This amending Agreement shall be ratified by the Member Territories in accordance with their respective constitutional processes. Such instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Government of Saint Lucia on or before the First day of October, This Agreement shall come into force on the Fifth day of October, Promoting economic integration among the member states.

The work of this authority is supported by the following committees: 1. Foreign Affairs 2. Defence 3. Security 4. Economic Central Secretariat. External Relations 2. Functional Cooperation 3. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products.

List of Partners vendors. The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States OECS is an intergovernmental organization that promotes economic integration and trade cooperation among its member states in the Eastern Caribbean. Kitts and Nevis, for which the agreement is named. In , this treaty was revised to establish an economic union, removing or reducing trade and customs barriers and allowing goods, people, and capital to move more freely.

The associate members of the OECS are:. As an economic union, the OECS is a single market and customs union where goods, people, and capital are free to move. The organization also works to unify monetary policy and policies related to government taxes and revenue, in addition to harmonizing their approach toward trade, health, education, the environment, agriculture, tourism, and energy. Eight members share a single currency, the Eastern Caribbean Dollar.

Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and The Grenadines. Geographically, these islands form a near-continuous archipelago across the Caribbean Sea, known as the Lesser Antilles. Citizens of protocol members are free to travel and work across borders without restrictions.

They can do so with a passport, though a driver's license, national ID card, voter registration card, and social security card are also accepted. To live in another protocol member state, a person is not required to demonstrate means of support. They can live and work in another protocol member state indefinitely. In addition, the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority is the regulatory body that oversees the telecommunications sector in the region.

Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.