With just weeks before the proposed start of the Caribbean Single Market, questions still remain about the participation of Caricom's smaller countries in the liberalisation of the movement of skills, labour, goods and services across the region. This week, a technical team from the Caricom Secretariat has been in St. Kitts and Nevis this week to gauge the readiness of the twin-island federation. Anthony Abourizk, the president of the country's chamber of commerce and industry, told BBC Caribbean Radio he is concerned about the limited amount of information that's been given to small businesses. "Not enough information is being disseminated to what we call the smaller businesses in St Kitts and Nevis." he said. "Obviously one of the first protocols to be implemented would be the free movement of people and capital. "People obviously falling under the category of skilled labourers or skilled workers would have to have their Caricom skilled certificate but as far as we understand through that meeting, they would be expanding that list to include business people - that would facilitate the movement of businesses through the region," the businessman said. "Information is knowledge and if businesses do not fully understand the implication of the CSME, they are going to see it as a threat to their own businesses. "St Kitts is going through a significant transition as far as the closure of the sugar industry is concerned and the investment opportunities for local and foreign investors with those lands," he said. Regional unity "Government has yet to come forward with a clear land development policy; we’re still waiting to see that. However, bearing in mind that is the new generation of investments for the island as far as the future of this federation goes." The Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) is the meant to achieve the historical objective of uniting and fortifying the islands of the Caribbean and the mainland territories of Suriname and Guyana. The formal decision to fashion the CSME was taken at the 1989 Heads of Government meeting at Grand Anse in Grenada. Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados were CSME ready by January 2005. Already, certain countries have begun to allow the first category of Caricom nationals: "free movement". Under the CSME, university graduates, media workers, sports people, musicians, artists, managers, supervisors are allowed to work and live with their families without the need for work permits. Reprinted from bbccaribbean.com