24 million euros for
Antilles in budget aid
WILLEMSTAD--24 million euros (60 million guilders) have been set aside in the so-called tenth European Development Fund for the Netherlands Antilles as one of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs). Instead of the usual project aid, the Antilles can probably receive this money as budget aid.
There was a technical workshop in Brussels Thursday about procedures for the use of this tenth European Development Fund.
Based on annual policy- and project programmes approved in advance by Brussels, most of the other OCTs (supposedly about two-thirds) are already receiving the aid of the European Union (EU) as budgetary assistance. The OCTs can then receive the monies in one time instead of spread out over more sub-projects that each must every time go through a long and bureaucratic approval process.
The workshop formed a tailpiece on the three-day meeting of the OCTs with the European Committee in Brussels. Also the Netherlands Antilles was represented in this meeting by deputy director Edil Poulina and the policy advisors Francis de Windt and Shereeta Ramcharan (all three of the Development Cooperation Department) representative of the Finance Directorate Eugene Martis, head Judicial Affairs of the Antilles House Laurens Warnink and the delegation leader Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague Paul Comenencia.
The OCTs and the four European member states they are connected with, have been insisting since 2003 on more interpretation of the OCT-status. The European Committee has at the same time insisted on building on a new relationship with good ties between the OCTs and the EU.
However, more and more EU-members are very critical about the current relation of the OCTs that are associated with the EU and about the financial support of the EU to the OCTs. Because of this and also because of globalisation, liberalisation of international trade and the further economic integration of ACP-countries (Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific), it is permissible to evaluate the relations between the EU and the OCTs and to consider a substantial revision of the relations.
This is written in a discussion paper for a forum about the OCTs and the EU, with the recommendation to really consider the content and the added value of the OCT-EU relation.
