The Commonwealth of Dominica and the European Union are continuing their partnership for development.
The two held a Country Portfolio Review Meeting on Monday June 15th to review projects being undertaken in Dominica, as well as to decide on new projects for the upcoming years.
Marc Thill is the Head of Operations of the EU Delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.
“We are going to review our progress,” he said. “What we have done over the years and at the same time we will look at our obstacles and challenges and find solutions for those. We have budget support programmes, normal projects…water supply projects, Banana Accompanying Measures Programme and the non-state actor panel. So it is a very complex, multi-faceted programme which we have had over the years and there is more to come.”
‘Non-state actor panels’ are bodies established in countries which have expressed interest in piloting capacity-building programmes.
They are non-partisan bodies comprising between 8-13 organisations broadly representative of the full civil society spectrum, i.e. community-based organisations, agriculture, business, gender, etc. Their main role is to channel civil society’s input into the EU-Eastern Caribbean development partnership, including political and policy dialogue, programming and implementation of projects/programmes.
Thill listed as an example of things to come in the 11th European Development Fund which he says will be for energy.
The Head of Operations says over the past five years the EU has given up to €50-million in support of projects in Dominica.
He looks forward to the continued partnership between Dominica and the European Union.
“We view Dominica as one of our main partners in the region; our relationship is excellent. The relationship with the Government [and] the National Authorizing Officer’s office I find very regular and constructive. We are looking forward to keeping this relationship in the future,” Thill assured.
Also present at the meeting was the Hon. Minister for Planning, Economic Development and Investment, Dr. John Collin McIntyre, Financial Secretary Rosamund Edwards and Heads of departments of various technical ministries including Trade, Agriculture, Public Works and Ports, Tourism, Housing and Finance.
GIS surely have their tongue in their cheek when they call this a partnership, considering the money is coming all from one side! Don’t get me wrong, I am happy for the assistance we get from the EU tax payers but pls. a partnership is supposed to be a two-way traffic. What is our contribution in this partnership? The way this partnership works is that they give and we spend. I really wish GIS would use a more fortunate, more appropriate phrase.
Don’t do it Dominica!
Every single country the EU has touched is in turmoil, others are in huge trouble:-
Spain – broke 50% + unemployment
Italy – broke 50% + unemployment
Greece – used to be broke, now, just no payment of any debts – more, or less all unemployed
Central & Eastern Europe – totally and absolutely broke and prices skyrocketing
Ukraine – offered a partnership and lots of military aid to ‘fight’ the Russian ‘threat’
UK – wants to leave the EU sharpish
France – total economic disaster which is only abated by it’s No.1 spot as a world-class supplier of radioactive material :).
By the way, the EU has never, ever produced any independent audit of its accounts. Never, ever
Do we want to have anything to do with these bandits?
The Ministers are going to profit there should be an independant body to supervise how these funds are spent I do not see anything amounting to 50 Million Eu. I only see some persons really got rich. Weneed oversight when these monies are given out to the Government of this Day.