The diversity of the Common law, Romano-Germanic and communist inspired legal systems represent an obstacle to the economic attractiveness of the Caribbean region. Hence the interest of the ACP LEGAL association to execute the project for the harmonisation of business law in the Caribbean emerged to overcome such difficulties.

It was created following a statement issued at the end of a conference held in Pointe à Pitre on 15 May 2007 in Guadeloupe.

The second OHADAC conference was held in Port-au Prince (Haiti) on 17-18 June 2008 and enabled to define a priority list of law-related subjects to be harmonised.

Since its inception inspired from the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa created by the organisation to foster harmonisation in Africa (OHADA), the ACP LEGAL association initiated and then launched the organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in the Caribbean (OHADAC). It has published draft unifom legal texts in the field of arbitration, commercial law, corporate law and private international law.

The set-up of the Regional Arbitration and Mediation Centre for the Caribbean located in à Pointe-à-Pitre, is another important milestone. The allocation of the “Interreg V Caraïbe” Programme development funding from the European Union has contributed to the implementation of this wonderful project, following an agreement signed this year between the Project Leader, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Guadeloupe and the management authority of the programme. This Centre opening in a few weeks from now will provide arbitration and mediation services to key actors and stakeholders of the Caribbean economy regardless of their size and the complexity of the underlying legal and contractual relations.

The objective of this Centre is to participate to sustainable growth in the Caribbean while ensuring project and transaction services protection which is crucial for the region. The first arbitral award recently rendered on the basis of the OHADAC law, promises a sound future for this institution.

This is the scope of the harmonisation process, its issues and challenges to surmount are tackled in René Kiminou's book entitled “The Harmonisation of Business Law in the Caribbean”, that may be ordered in the “ Connaissances et savoirs” editions.

René Kiminou is a PhD., Doctor of Laws degree in European Law from the University of Montpellier, University lecturer at the University of the Antilles and Guiana, in charge of Higher Education and “Nouveaux Horizons” from Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. He teaches Intellectual Property Law and New Technologies, OHADAC Business Law and International Trade Law ... He has written and published four books on Economics and Business Law in the Caribbean, Publibook editions and European Universities Publishing Companies. He is also a lawyer at the Fort-de-France bar association.