OECS Ambassador to Brussels responds to Dominica’s black listing by EU

Sharlene Shillingford-McKlmon (right)

Ambassador of the Eastern Caribbean States to Brussels, Sharlene Shillingford-McKlmon has responded to the European Union’s blacklisting of Dominica pointing out that Dominica has fulfilled the requirements of the EU and there is nothing else that can be done in relation to the EU’s decision.

The new list announced on March 12th, 2019, triples the roster to 15 countries which include Dominica along with American Samoa, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Fiji, Guam, Marshall Islands, Oman, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S. Virgin Islands, United Arab Emirates and Vanuatu.

Ambassador Shilling-ford Mcklmon explained that Dominica was given 9 months to make necessary changes to its laws and policies which were requested by the EU in March 2018. The deadline stated in the EU letter was December 2018.

She said among the laws that needed amending, were The Offshore Banking Act, The International Business Companies Act and The Fiscal Incentives Act.

“The EU considered that these were preferential regimes and that the parliament of Dominica needed to approve certain changes,” Mcklmon stated. “The necessary changes were done to amend the laws in accordance to EU requirements.”

She also stated that Dominica was granted membership and fulfilled its requirement to the Convention Dealing with Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), after the necessary legal and policy changes were made, noting that joining is mandatory but is unilaterally required by the EU.

She said that Dominica fulfilled the requirements of the EU and became a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

“The outstanding matter relates to joining another OECD tax related convention on the exchange of information for tax purposes. In this case, Dominica… made the necessary legal and policy changes. It submitted its draft laws, its draft Act … to the OECD,” Shillingford-Mcklmon stated.

She said the OECD accepted the draft law as being in compliance with its requirements and now OECD countries are in the process of internal consolation before issuing an invitation to Dominica to join.

“At this stage there is nothing else for Dominica to do until it hears from the OECD,” the OECS Ambassador declared.

Shillingford-McKlmon said it was unfortunate that the EU felt it was necessary to blacklist Dominica and is hopeful that the OECD internal consolation process will soon be over and that Dominica will be given the approval to join and therefore to meet the last EU requirement.

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19 Comments

  1. March 19, 2019

    As always, this is not about money laundering, this is about bullying small countries and dependencies who dare to compete with European financial institutions.

    • carlty
      March 21, 2019

      My sentiments exactly. Its the EU’s need to dominate and control the democracy of developing states. These organizations have a world order to keep. Developed, developing and under-developed. It controls and preserves the world’s resources.

  2. Man bites dogs
    March 19, 2019

    Viewsexpressed are you saying that you agree with what the European has done? Then you will turn around and say I love Dominica. Viewsexpressed the white man would sell you rats in a bag and you would not know the difference :twisted: 👹

    • viewsexpressed
      March 20, 2019

      As usual as this man Bites Dogs, you seem to be selective in your comments and or protective of your failed inept immature Skerrit. Now here you go again: “Viewsexpressed the white man would sell you rats in a bag and you would not know the difference”. Man bites Dogs, have yo heard the term , please give your backyard first before yo throw stones at others. Get Skerrit to clean up the Bobol and corruption in government that has affected ur island Domininca severely due to mismanagement, Bin Bobol, Fertilizer Bool etc. Skerrit is and has been this failure and yo are this bind bat supporter only there for Skerrit not n the interest of our poor people and failed island under your so called worthless leader you call Skerrit. Skerrit has failed us and he has to go. This tune you will hear from many of us and there is nothing you will and can say to raise the reputation and failures of Skerrit. He is a loser, a big disappointed and childish in his political behaviour with clowns like…

  3. Anon
    March 19, 2019

    New elaborate way of holding countries around the world hostage, see how the US held Antigua hostage for gambling a few years back, they still owe Antigua for damage done. The EU has found a way to gang up on the less fortunate while they can’t touch the uncompliant US. It’s a sad day.

  4. viewsexpressed
    March 19, 2019

    “………responded to the European Union’s blacklisting of Dominica pointing out that Dominica has fulfilled the requirements of the EU and there is nothing else that can be done in relation to the EU’s decision.” Sharlene Shillingford-McKlmon, please be advised that we are not comfortable with your
    response. You are not the architect of this of this poor governance and questionable corrupt deeds that is on going in our Domininca. The leadership of this Labour government is extremely devious and highly corrupted. Domininca is now in an abyss that the only turn around will be to kick out this devious so called Odd Mininister and make for decent leadership and good UWP governance for our ailing broken economy. Our people are in deep poverty and Domininca economically and only is in a bad state. We therefore need this clown Skerrit, his corrupt Labour party out of office. Thank you and your team for representing us, but please always do the honourable thing as a diplomat. UWP to…

    • Man bites dogs
      March 19, 2019

      Viewsexpressed are you saying that you agree with what the European has done? Then you will turn around and say I love Dominica. Viewsexpressed the white man would sell you rats in a bag and you would not know the difference :twisted: 👹

    • Peace
      March 19, 2019

      I respect the views that you have expressed but it seems to be coming from a very myopic view of the world and foreign affairs. Do not allow yourself to be blinded by party politics as is so often the norm with many of us. The fact is that small “s#!+#@le” countries [as #45 called it] are targets even when they check all the boxes. I do not believe that we belong on that list, but what’s important now is that we get off the list. Massa days continue. Don’t be quick to sell out your brothers.

  5. %
    March 19, 2019

    Ms ambassador,
    If you all don’t make a fool out of yourselves on behalf of a lazy, slow witted PM,he will see you all as irrelevant… Skerrit (who is the government) was most likely concentrating on how to stay in office over that period when changes had to made to get off the black list… It is my view though that once selling of passports remains Dominica’s main economic activity, it will forever remain on that black list. Dirty money and money laundering are taken seriously in any REAL country except Dominica
    Is Dominica a real country?
    Ask you all lazy and lousy PM.
    Skerrit Must Go
    Skerrit Must Go
    LAZY Skerrit Must Go Now

  6. Pipo
    March 19, 2019

    So Charlene, now you have to grovel and tell another insincere story again to try and clear that poor boy Roosevelt Skerrit that claims all his people love him. Well, I don’t envy your job having to clean up after a truculent child like that. I sending you my apologies because unfortunately that boy also representing me.

  7. Vernon
    March 19, 2019

    Sharlene Shillingford-McKlmon,
    Could you let the elected government officials answer such questions? That is beyond your pay scale and no one voted for you to represent them period!!!

    Who gave you the responsibility and authority to let us know why we were blacklisted by the OECD? Couldn’t the Minister of Finance do it or is he so incompetent to explain to us that he had to send you?

    Now I can see why Dominica was blacklisted because the people who we elect to do Dominica work has abdicated their responsibilities or they are so self-serving that they don’t care about us anymore?

    • foreign observer
      March 19, 2019

      Your OECS Ambassador to Brussels (EU) responded to questions she was asked, which is her job to do. If you want responses from government ministers, then ask them the questions directly. What would you be saying if Ms. Shillingford-McKlmon had responded to these questions with “ask the Minister of Finance”? Then there’d be howling about what is she there for. A damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation.

      EU member states are part of the OECD, but the EU itself is only a participating observer. Hence the apples and oranges situation Dominica currently finds itself in.

      http://www.oecd.org/about/membersandpartners/

      • UKDominican
        March 20, 2019

        With respect, Dominica has its own sovereign Foreign Minister, if not our Minister of Finance, who could have responded especially since it is our country and not the other OECS countries that are blacklisted.

  8. Neville
    March 19, 2019

    In good old fashion we are as ever hearing lies. You can’t fool these guys in Brussels the same way you can fool the people of Dominica and hope to get away with it. The government of DA is useless and corrupt and its PM is a big time thief and an indiscriminate passport seller.

  9. Migofamilia
    March 18, 2019

    Thus it is said, “Dominica has done all it can do…”. While we await the red tape of beaurocracy to go through the due process in relation to the OECD. Hmmmm…it seems like skerrit did his job yet the comments section is void of negative criticism for once. I guess we seeing that in all the mirage of confusion that anti skerrit commenters leave on social media, is loosing strength. Then again this usually happens to fallacies.

  10. Fed Up
    March 18, 2019

    Gangsters selling passports and laundering money may have something to do with it.

  11. March 18, 2019

    Wondering why so many other countries that was on the brownlisl was lifted.why Dominica amoung a few others are on the blacklist?

    • Me
      March 19, 2019

      The EU has no brown list, they have a grey list.

  12. dissident
    March 18, 2019

    Well my dear if you want to suck up for the failures of our leadership in government cry……makes no difference.
    From March 2018 what has been de focus of Roosevelt Skerrit Government??????
    So all you didn’t see how we got tear gassed for standing for electoral reform?
    you never notice that over de time period that you refer to ……..de Dr Dr. government was going to parliament to amend de electoral act to introduce bribing????? uh
    some people like sol…….there eyes on one side of their face.
    Dr Dr focus for de 9 month period that you refer to was ………refusing to provide funds as minister of finance for de electoral commission in Dominica to do a re-registration of voters and preparing a bill to take to parliament to give permission to our electoral commission to go overseas in chosen population centers to register voters .

    i don’t know why people like to suck up to failed leadership………shame on you!!!!!!!

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