Martinique officially joins CARICOM as seventh associate member after decade-long process

Saint Lucia: Martinique has officially taken its seat as an Associate Member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for the first time. This historic move came after a decade-long application process. The regional leaders welcomed the French territory during CARICOM’s 51st Regular Meeting. The meeting was held in Saint Lucia from July 5 to 8.

Martinique is now the seventh Associate member of the regional bloc and it now has the right to attend all the official meetings and summits.

After the final step that required both France and CARICOM to complete legal and legislative changes, Martinique was granted the status of CARICOM’s seventh member.

During the opening ceremony, CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett welcomed Martinique as the seventh Associate Member. Other CARICOM members include Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The accession agreement for Martinique’s membership was signed on February 20, 2025 after nearly a decade of negotiations. It was signed by the President of the Executive Council of Martinique, Serge Letchimy and the CARICOM Chair Mia Mottley. The agreement was formally signed during the 48th CARICOM Summit in Bridgetown, Barbados. And then it was approved by the French Senate on January 28, 2026 and by France’s National Assembly on April 16, 2026.

The official Instrument of Accession was submitted by the French Republic in June and the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of CARICOM entered into force on June 16. This completed the legal process for Martinique’s acceptance in CARICOM.

Letchimy said addressing the regional leaders that this occasion is the beginning of a new chapter rather than the end of a lengthy process. He said that Martinique’s acceptance into CARICOM reflects the years of effort the officials put in to balance the positioning of Martinique within both the European and the Caribbean frameworks. He added that the territory should now move from diplomacy to practical regional cooperation. Martinique is going to collaborate and cooperate with other CARICOM members to focus on business, investment and financing.

Martinique will now be able to participate in CARICOM meetings, programmes and regional initiatives actively. But, it does not have voting rights on binding decisions as it is not a sovereign state. Letchimy also said that the country will use its unique position as a French overseas region to strengthen ties between the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe and Africa. Martinique will work to increase cooperation in areas like trade, investment, regional mobility, climate resilience and disaster response.

Previous CARICOM Chair Dr. Terrance Drew also welcomed Martinique’s participation. He said that with regional cooperation the member countries will be able to achieve what could be difficult to achieve individually. He said the move would benefit people across the Caribbean.