COCI, CCISM sign cross-border cooperation agreement
COCI and CCISM signed an agreement on Thursday 5 November to support cross-border business cooperation under existing laws.
The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI) and the Chambre Consulaire Interprofessionnelle de Saint-Martin (CCISM) signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday 5 November. The chambers said the agreement creates a framework for cooperation between businesses on the Dutch and French sides of the island.
COCI President Tamara Leonard and CCISM President Angèle Dormoy signed the agreement. The chambers said it does not override existing legislation or automatically give businesses new rights to operate across the border, but is intended to help entrepreneurs use opportunities available under each jurisdiction's rules.
COCI and CCISM said the partnership could include joint trade missions, conferences and professional exchanges. They identified the From Island Roots to Global Routes initiative, involving a business delegation to Miami, as an early example of cooperation. Dormoy also raised possible joint participation in the Foire de Paris, a shared “Made in Saint Martin” identity for local goods and services, and an internship initiative for French-side students and trainees to gain experience on the Dutch side.
The chambers said discussions leading to the agreement date to 2012, with earlier efforts in 2014 and 2017.
