The Caribbean Community is on track to allow citizens of member states free movement throughout the region.

This goal was reaffirmed at the conclusion of the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Guyana on Thursday.

David Burt, the Premier, represented Bermuda at the talks.

The island has associate membership in the 15-member bloc, but is pressing for full membership. Last week. the Government received a Letter of Entrustment from Britain granting it permission to open negotiations with Caricom on the issue.

A communiqué posted on the Caricom website at the conclusion of this week’s summit said that members “agreed on urgent steps to expedite objectives” for a single market.

The communiqué added: “These include intensified work towards free movement, speeding up reviews to facilitate harmonisation of certain business laws and mutual recognition.

“The conference received a report on the work of the Reconstituted Inter-Governmental Task Force to implement the decision of the conference of July 2023 to work towards free movement of all community nationals.

“They agreed that draft amendments to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas should include basic guarantees to be afforded to all Caricom nationals exercising the right of free movement and directed the IGTF and Legal Affairs Committee to complete their work for the consideration of a meeting of the conference to take place on March 15.

“They stressed the importance of digital transformation with respect to companies’ registries and agreed to establish a regional committee of information technology experts to help with this digital transformation.“

At a press conference, Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, said that the group was “on target” to meet a March 31 deadline.

“People have the right to move now, for six months without question,” she said. “What we are talking about is removing that six-months constraint but equally have to understand what are the minimum rights that are guaranteed to our citizens when they move from one country to another and those are being resolved and settled now.

“There were just two policy issues that were referred to heads for us to settle, and they will meet back on March 7. The Legal Affairs Committee will sign off on the drafts on March 8, and the heads of government will meet on March 15 with the hope that we can sign off in time, the deadline given in Trinidad for March 31 for the full freedom of movement of people.”

Government leaders also discussed how companies will be able to open up in other states more easily and efficiently when people move.

“We agreed that we would work to get the mutual recognition of companies across the community settled, and we are working to get that done by meeting in July in Grenada,” she said.

Caricom is setting up a “common digital platform” so that businesses can be registered easily and processed in different countries.

Last week, Mr Burt told the House of Assembly that closer ties to Caricom “will be good for Bermuda and good for Bermudians”.

He added: “Now, with the entrustment from the United Kingdom Government, we can commence the consultation process promised in last year’s Speech from the Throne in earnest.”

Ahead of this week’s summit, Mr Burt said: “Ultimately, our participation signals Bermuda's commitment to regional co-operation and mutual development, and we welcome the opportunity to strengthen the bonds that unite us.

“Climate action and energy sustainability will feature heavily on the agenda, and we expect to provide updates on Bermuda's progress in that area and the steps we've taken since COP28.

“Additionally, there have been some key developments here in Bermuda, such as the passage of our Corporate Income Tax legislation, that I am eager to update my fellow heads of government on.”