Castries, November 19th, 2015; The Ministry of Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs has begun an initiative to critically evaluate the current Trade Licence Regime of Saint Lucia.  An important part of this exercise involves a one-day consultation to evaluate the Regime with a pivotal focus on the Trade Licence Act, Cap. 13.04 of the Revised Laws of Saint Lucia.  This consultation, which is scheduled to take place on November 20th, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. at the Palm Haven Hotel, Gros Islet, will involve a cadre of public and private sector officials with knowledge of the business environment and will take the form of presentations on the current trade environment and regional and international obligations that the country is subject to.  

This initiative is in keeping with the Ministry's mandate at creating an enabling environment to facilitate trade and investment in Saint Lucia. Additionally, with the advent of globalization and the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers to regional and international trade through the signing of trade agreements, it is imperative that World Trade Organization (WTO) members constantly review and reform existing legislation in order to be WTO compliant.  It is expected that through the implementation of recommendations arising from the review process, the ease of doing business in Saint Lucia would be improved by streamlining processes in a manner that is more predictive, transparent and non-discriminatory.

For further information on this consultancy please contact Mrs. Roycelyn Howell at 468-4291/285-4789 or Ms. Cleotha Joseph, Investment Officer at 468-4266.