Honourable Knowlson Gift, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Chairman of the Council
Other Honourable Ministers
Distinguished Delegates
Staff of the CARICOM Secretariat
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Eighteenth Meeting of the Community Council, which is, as you are aware, the second-highest organ of the Community, after the Conference of Heads of Government. At this important meeting,on the eve of the Twenty-Seventh Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community, scheduled to take place in St. Kitts and Nevis from 3 to 6 July, the Council will not only determine the agenda of the meeting of the conference, but will also be making important decisions which will have a direct bearing on the development and well-being of the people of our Region. Among matters to be discussed will be Cricket World Cup 2007, CARIFESTA IX and the regional Development Fund which itself is the subject of discussion at the Third Special Meeting of the Council for Finance and Planning being held in Montego Bay, Jamaica at this very moment.

It also falls to this organ to consider reports of the other Ministerial Councils of the Community and in that regard reports from the Council of Human and Social Development (COHSOD) , the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) and the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) are before you.

In each of those reports lie matters which directly affect the well-being of the people of the Region, such as health, education, employment, the last of which is affected by our trading relations within and outside the Community.

Those relations were given a boost last week with two successful Summit meetings in Europe. At both the CARICOM-Spain and European Union-Latin America and the Caribbean Summits, our Community received indications of strong support for our development efforts.

Indeed both the EU and Spain expressed a willingness to consider supporting the regional Development Fund which, as we all know, is a key element of the CSME and so important to redressing whatever imbalances may occur in the operation of the Single Market.

The Government of Spain also announced that it will be taking the first steps towards joining the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) by contributing to the Bank’s Special Development Fund.

These indications of support for our development come at a time when the traditional agricultural sector, critically important to the economies of Member States, is gravely challenged by adverse decisions by the EU and the World Trade Organisation. Effective transformation of this sector is absolutely necessary if we are to survive.

Ministers, I wish you success in your deliberations which will set the tone for the upcoming meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a successful meeting as you strive for productive and efficient deliberations. For those of you who are here for the first time, please feel free to become acquainted with the environs of the new Headquarters building.

I would like to now invite the Chairman of Council, Minister Gift, to address you.

I thank you.