As the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) prepares to convene its annual Heads of Government meeting in Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda has laid out a clear, cost-of-living-focused policy agenda centered on reforming the bloc’s core trade framework. Prime Minister Gaston Browne outlined his country’s priorities in an interview on the *Brown and Brown Show* on Sunday, confirming that Antigua and Barbuda will lead a push to extend and broaden the current suspension of the Common External Tariff (CET) — a regional import duty applied to all goods entering CARICOM from non-member nations.
The existing CET suspension, currently capped at a one-year term, has already helped bring down prices for imported goods across the bloc. Browne argues that this temporary relief needs to be expanded to deliver sustained relief for households grappling with rising living costs. “We’ll certainly be one of the countries that’s going to push for a reduction in the cost of living by asking for a continued suspension of the CET,” Browne told listeners. “I know it’s on a yearly basis. I think we should go to at least two years in the suspension of the CET.” Beyond extending the timeline, Antigua and Barbuda is also calling for the suspension to be broadened to cover more product categories, unlocking additional price cuts for consumers.
To complement the CET reform, Browne says Antigua and Barbuda will also advocate for expanded access to lower-priced imports from the Dominican Republic, a non-CARICOM neighbor with competitive production in multiple key sectors. To back this proposal, the prime minister has already instructed the country’s Ministry of Trade to compile a detailed list of goods that the Dominican Republic can supply at lower costs than existing intra-CARICOM suppliers. This move is part of a broader regional strategy to tame persistent inflationary pressures that have strained household budgets across the Caribbean in recent years.
Browne also highlighted that CARICOM is currently advancing a new trade agreement with Colombia, which would open doors for member states to access a wider range of competitively priced goods. Leveraging its existing robust shipping connections to Panama, the Dominican Republic, and key South American markets, Antigua and Barbuda stands ready to act as a regional distribution hub for these lower-cost imports, the prime minister noted, positioning the country to support the entire bloc’s cost-reduction goals.
While short-term trade adjustments are critical for immediate relief, Browne emphasized that long-term, sustainable reductions in the cost of living will require deeper structural change. “Ultimately, we will be able to reduce the cost of living by growing our own produce and having our own meats,” he said, calling on consumers across the region to prioritize and support locally produced agricultural goods as part of the collective push for lower living costs.