Mia Mottley defends free movement agreement ahead of Oct 1 launch

Barbados: Prime Minister Mia Mottley has defended Barbados’ decision to join other three CARICOM states in the Free Movement initiative aimed at interconnectedness and development between the Caribbean countries. Barbados, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize aim to fully open their borders to the citizens of the four nations from today (October 1) onwards.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley addressed Barbados in Tuesday night’s national address insisting the move will be carefully managed across the four Caribbean nations pioneering the fully reciprocal free movement agreement.

“What my friends this regime is not, it is not a free for all,” she said in her September 30 address, delivered just hours before the island formally joined three other member states in pioneering free movement across the region.

Prime Minister Mottley noted that the Free Movement regime is not a free for all neither is it an abandonment of border control, or a threat to Barbadian jobs and services as professionals will still require adherence to the rules and regulations governing the practices of their professions in Barbados after having licenses to operate in the country.

“No one can simply walk into Barbados and set up a practice. Freedom of movement does not remove the need for persons moving into a country to comply with the legal requirements.”

Prime Minister Mottley further stated that the professional service registrations must still be followed citing that lawyers for example will still require a valid practice certificate, as will any profession which is regulated under legislation.

“It is not a one way arrangement which benefits others and leaves the locals of Barbados behind, it is not a sudden leap into the unknown, it is measured, it is managed, it is ours,” Prime Minister Mottley assured the Barbados citizens that the Free Movement agreement between the four countries is managed and regulated.

She added that it will further not only improve the lives of other citizens whose countries are also involved in the agreement, but will also improve the lives of the Barbados citizens by allowing them to travel freely and have more opportunities.

Free Movement is set to begin from October 1, benefiting the citizens of Barbados, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize with various opportunities that can be shared across the four island nations.