The Organisation of Eastern States (OECS), comprising the nine small island states stretching from the British Virgin Islands in the north to Grenada in the south, are not newcomers to regionalism and regional cooperation. These countries have been part of some federal structure for almost as long as their colonial history. In colonial times the groupings consisted of shifting combinations of islands labelled Leeward Islands or Windward Islands.

The year 2006 marks the 25th anniversary of the organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). This grouping, formed on June 18, 1981, consists of some of the smallest states in the world. Its seven full members are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines; and its two associate members are Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands. Combined, they boast a population of fewer than 500,000 people.