“Globalization and regionalism have made the establishment of an OECS Economic Union critical to the survival of our sub-regional integration arrangement.” That’s according to Grenada's Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell at the opening of the 45th OECS Authority Meeting which ended here on Friday. Mitchell said in order for OECS countries to secure whatever value is left in pursuing the economic union, they must expeditiously move from plan to action in bringing into existence the attendant administrative arrangements. “While there are a few areas in which I am satisfied that we have a little time to dot the “I”s and cross the “T”s, for a number of critical areas, we are fast running out of both time and space,” Mitchell said. Having very recently re-assumed responsibilities as Minister of Finance here, he is alarmed at the extent to which commitments in various areas, such as finance, investment and services overlap, across the WTO, European Partnership Arrangement (EPA) and CSME spheres. He said treating with these cross-cutting commitments and the manner in which they may impede the full attainment of our OECS Economic Union objectives, as well as the next critical operational steps towards the establishment of such a Union, must be considered among the several issues which must occupy our attention at this Meeting. Incoming OECS Chairman and Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerritt said the launch of the first phase of the OECS Economic Union would be the education aspect. This aspect according to him will take the form a television and radio programme. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com