The Business Agenda of the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture took center focus at the Quarterly Meeting between Commerce Minister Emma Hippolyte and the Board of the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce, held on Wednesday 17th April,2024 at the Conference Room of the Ministry on the 4th Floor of the Heraldine Rock Administrative Building on the Castries Waterfront.  Among the issues discussed included the challenges faced by the business community in recruiting appropriate talent. The meeting agreed that a more concerted effort was needed to develop a “Skills Register” and operationalize a Labour Market Information System. There was also discussion on incentivizing the return of nonresident nationals with skills and qualification that are in demand. Law and Order was another issue discussed.  The Chamber emphasized the need to appropriately resource the criminal justice system, to help address the backlog of cases, allowing for methodical, timely case management.  The flagrant disregard of traffic laws with apparently little to no consequence for offending parties was also highlighted as a cause of increasing concern. The Chamber reiterated its willingness to support the CCTV program of the Government, and it awaits the technical specifications for cameras to advise its members. The Chamber also took time to laud the Ministry of International Trade for collaborating with the CARICOM Secretariat to host a CSME Outreach Program. The Chamber stated this program was extremely timely and useful to the business community, with the implementation of many elements of the Treaty of Chaguaramas gathering steam. The Chamber specifically enquired as to the Government’s position on the free movement of people protocol. Related discussions were also held on the non-tariff barriers faced by St. Lucian firms in other Member states, when seeking to exercise their rights under the Treaty. The Minister was emphatic that the Government should be informed of any difficulties faced by firms as the Government stands prepared to assist. The Meeting also discussed the issue of Trade Facilitation, in terms of efficiency of Customs and SLASPA operations and of course the long outstanding Electronic Single Window, with follow up to be had on its latest proposed implementation structure. There was also an impassioned intervention on the part of the Chamber on the issues with the transportation network, including the state of roads and traffic congestion, that impedes and often times disrupts the efficient movement of goods and services across the island. The Chamber advised the Minister and her team that it will continue to dialogue directly with the agencies in question and urged that the Minister throw her support behind the Chamber’s concerns when the matters came up in Cabinet.  The Minister indicated that she remained determined to have regular dialogue with the Chamber and looked forward to the two institutions collaborating on shared work program areas moving forward.