Among some 20 of these recommendations contained in a still confidential 'Working Paper' prepared for today's Consultation on Options for Governance' in Port-of-Spain, are::

*A deadline of one year to make the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) a reality;

*Creation of a Customs Union “as soon as possible”.

*Overhaul of the structure and functioning of the Community Secretariat with it being smaller but stronger and redesigned “for implementation, monitoring and coordination”;

*Reform the Caribbean Development Bank to have "a broader mandate to establish and develop a regional financial and capital base to support competitive companies";

*Make the Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) “an integral part” of the CARICOM Secretariat to better conduct all negotiations on behalf of the Community;

*Each national government of member states of the Community should establish a monitoring mechanism to measure the costs and benefits to them of membership in the Caribbean Single Market and Economy;

*And the education sector should be repositioned to “facilitate development at a faster pace throughout the region.”

The 70-odd page ‘working paper’, obtained by the Chronicle, is titled ‘Options and Strategies for CARICOM in the area of Governance for Caribbean Regional Integration’.

It was prepared by a group of some 13 Caribbean academics, largely drawn from the St.Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies, at the request of Prime Minister Patrick Manning who is hosting today's Consultation on Options for Governance.

Most of the Community heads of government and civil society representatives and leading regional technocrats will be participating.

In focusing on sensitive areas of security and crime, the recommendations also call for an extension of the Regional Security System (RSS) that currently comprises Barbados and the countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean states (OECS) to encompass the southern flank with Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname.

Establishment of an Integrated Investigative Service (IIS) to address trans-national criminal activities, especially those linked to narco-trafficking, has also been proposed for consideration.

Ministerial sources said that the Consultation would not wish to be rushed into “hasty acceptance” of recommendations without ensuring “effective mechanisms” are in place and the expected communique/statement to be released at the conclusion of today's event should indicate “steps to be pursued on options and strategies for the way forward...”

The Guyana delegation, headed by President Bharrat Jagdeo, is expected to indicate its own positions on “inclusivity in governance” and distribute to other delegations last week's policy paper of the governing PPP/C on ‘Greater inclusive governance in Guyana’.