Fortunately, this debate can now be put on the back burner as an academic one as, though some countries continue to aspire to bilateral arrangements, particularly with the US, the increasing impetus towards the creation of blocks has taken wing in our region with the establishment of new arrangements and the reawakening of existing ones. What is more significant, however, is that not only are these blocks increasingly defined as more than mere trade arrangements in the Greater Caribbean and the South American sub continent, but that they are now poised to frame our insertion into the globalised world, if we would only let them.

The ACS structure has its foundation in the ‘building-block approach’ to regional integration, which was more vividly described by Jamaica’s Michael Manley over four decades ago as the “concentric circles” approach.  For example, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) forms part of CARICOM; CARICOM has opened its doors to Suriname and Haiti and CARICOM, the Dominican Republic and Haiti form CARIFORUM, the Caribbean part of the Africa-Caribbean-Pacific Group of the Lomé Convention. There are also close ties between CARICOM and Cuba. Moreover, there are institutionalised relationships between CARICOM and the G-3, CARICOM and Central America, and Central America and the G-3.  And all the countries of these sub-regional groupings are, of course, now members of the ACS.

In the post colonial era, many if not all of the Members of the ACS have, to varying degrees to be sure, benefited in the short and medium term from our different bilateral or other relationships with our erstwhile metropolis. In many cases, the long range view reveals that this is no longer a viable option.

During the recent Latin America and Caribbean-European Union Seminar held at UWI under joint sponsorship of the EU and the Institute of International relations, Professor Norman Girvan, ex Secretary General of the ACS, made an impassioned plea for awareness regarding the future of EU-Latin America and Caribbean relations. He explained that (and he will excuse the over simplification) the recent expansion of the EU to include ten new members from Eastern Europe now puts our special friends in Europe in the minority, at a time when the EU will have to look ever inward in order to absorb the new countries in a sustainable manner.

Throughout its 10 years, the Association of Caribbean States has had important ties with a number of EU Member States which has resulted in securing significant financial and technical contributions for the causes of the Greater Caribbean in the fields of transport, natural disasters, trade and sustainable tourism.

The ACS was further heartened when, in 2004, the Latin America and the Caribbean-European Union Summit in the Guadalajara Declaration recognised, the ACS as “an important regional entity, through which relations between the EU and the Greater Caribbean Area can be deepened and consolidated”. If permitted, the immediate future will see a growth in our relationship with the countries of the European Union, as well as the institutional operationalisation of the aspiration enshrined in the Guadalajara Declaration, whereby the ACS and the EU can consolidate this “block to block” synergy to avoid the overlapping and duplication of efforts, taking full advantage of the economies of scale implicit in regional cooperation.

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Mr. Luis Carpio is the Director of Natural Disasters and Transport of the Association of Caribbean States. The views expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Feedback can be sent to: mail@acs-aec.org