The European Commission has written the five OECS countries heavily dependent on the Citizenship by Investment Programme asking for their programmes to be phased out by June 1st, 2028.
The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne posted on his Facebook page that the EU decision was also directed at Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts-Nevis and Saint Lucia ‘who have received similar correspondence”.
OECS heads met in Dominica recently and crafted a response in which they have agreed to ‘pursue a coordinated programme of diplomatic engagement’ with the institutions of the European Union and the governments of Member States
They have “agreed to undertake a high-level mission to Brussels at the earliest appropriate opportunity to engage directly with the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Council, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy”.
The OECS Heads say, “these engagements will seek to deepen mutual understanding of the unique vulnerabilities and development realities of small island developing states” They will also seek to “explore practical and mutually beneficial solutions to the issues identified by the European Union, and to strengthen the longstanding partnership between the European Union and the Eastern Caribbean”.
The Heads have agreed that “discussions with the European Union should also encompass opportunities for enhanced development cooperation, strategic investment partnerships, climate resilience financing, economic diversification initiatives, and other appropriate support measures capable of strengthening long-term economic resilience”
