JEDDAH, 26 June 2005 — The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is considering lifting travel restrictions on expatriates as part of efforts to promote the GCC common market, scheduled to be launched in 2007.
Muhammad Al-Mazroue, GCC assistant secretary-general for economic affairs, said the move was aimed at facilitating the travel of certain categories of expatriates, especially investment, marketing and accounts managers and other professionals, between member states.
There are more than 10 million expatriate workers in the GCC states, constituting a significant portion of the region’s population. Saudi Arabia has the largest number with 6.14 million. In the United Arab Emirates, expatriates constitute about 80 percent of the population.
Some GCC countries issue visit visas to expatriates working in other member countries upon arrival at airports and other entry points, as long as they hold valid resident permits and re-entry visas. This facility is now open to businessmen and professionals.
Al-Mazroue said the GCC common market project was progressing well. “We have already completed 90 percent of the requirements for the common market.
What remains are measures to facilitate movement of GCC citizens between the member states using their IDs,” he told Al-Watan Arabic daily.
The free movement of both GCC citizens and expatriates is an important element for the success of the common market as it is essential for strengthening the market, increasing trade exchange and boosting economic development, he explained.
The number of joint economic projects undertaken in the Gulf reached 319, with an investment outlay of $4.26 billion in 2003. This included 72 projects in Saudi Arabia. The total capital of stock companies in the GCC was $56.88 billion in 2003.
With the streamlining of customs rules through the GCC Customs Union, intra-regional trade is expected to register higher growth in the coming years. The GCC Customs Union is currently implementing its second phase of customs procedures which will eliminate the remaining bureaucratic hurdles to more liberalized trade.
