The French National Assembly approved the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of CARICOM. 

This legislative milestone, which was approved on April 16, follows a similar approval by the French Senate last year and serves as the final domestic hurdle to operationalise an agreement signed in Bridgetown, Barbados, on February 20, 2025. 

That initial accord established the framework for Martinique’s deepened ties with the regional bloc.

Once the process is finalised, the French Eastern Caribbean island will join Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curaçao, and the Turks and Caicos Islands as Associate Members of the regional trade and integration movement.

This status grants Martinique significant new privileges within the community. According to CARICOM, as an associate member, Martinique will be able to:

• Attend Meetings of the Conference of Heads of Government as an Observer.
• Participate in the deliberations of most CARICOM institutions (excluding the Council of Foreign and Community Relations).
• Propose and modify regional programs to promote its specific interests.
• Access the benefits of relevant CARICOM regional programs.
• Accept and utilise the Caribbean Community travel document.

In exchange, Martinique will contribute an agreed-upon amount to the budget of the CARICOM Secretariat.

CARICOM is not the only regional entity where Martinique is asserting its presence. The island, along with its sister territory Guadeloupe, is already an associate member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

France’s Minister of the Overseas, Naïma Moutchou, hailed the National Assembly’s decision, noting its transformative potential for the region.

✅ Je salue l’adoption, par l’@AssembleeNat, de la ratification de l’accord relatif aux privilèges et immunités de la CARICOM.

Ce vote permet de consolider pleinement l’adhésion de la Martinique en qualité de membre associé et ouvre des perspectives nouvelles pour les autres… pic.twitter.com/qMSdu76pSP

— Naïma Moutchou (@NaimaMoutchou) April 16, 2026

“This vote fully consolidates Martinique’s membership as an associate member and opens new perspectives for the other French overseas territories in the Americas,” Moutchou stated. “The State is resolutely committed to supporting these territories to strengthen their integration within their regional environment.”

She added that the decision recognises overseas territories as “full-fledged stakeholders” in the Caribbean, providing a “concrete lever for their development, resilience, and influence.”