Castries, February 15th, 2018; The Department of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs makes reference to a recent statement by the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in which the Chamber indicated that the Department of Commerce did not make itself available to engage the Chamber on discussions regarding the Import License Regime as part of its "Getting Down to Business" series.

The Department regrets that this unfortunate situation has occurred however we have no record of having agreed to meet with the Chamber on February 13th, 2018 to discuss the matter of Import Licenses. Indeed the Department has been acceding to the requests of the Chamber to dialogue on pertinent issues and remains committed to working with the Chamber in fostering a more seamless environment where our local businesses can thrive. It is imperative however that there is clear communication between the two agencies in order to have fruitful outcomes.  The Department remains opened for dialogue on the matter of Import Licenses, as well as, any other matters related to our mandate which is focused on providing an enabling environment to foster the development of the private sector. 

The Department of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs looks forward to working with the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture and other business support organizations in fulfilling the strategic objectives of the Government of Saint Lucia and by extension the private sector.  

For further information on the work of the Department, please contact Ms. Peggy-Ann Soudatt - Deputy Permanent Secretary at telephone: 468-4204.

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