The European Union (EU) continues to deepen its relations with CARIFORUM states while making millions available to help build a more resilient region in the face of ongoing social, economic, developmental and climate crisis challenges.
European Commission representatives joined CARIFORUM member officials in Bridgetown this week as they officially launched the Caribbean-EU Partnerships 2021-2027, which consists of three main areas for cooperation – Partnership for a Green Deal, Partnership for Economic Resilience and Trade, and Partnership for Governance, Security and Human Development.
The partnerships are based on the new EU-ACP Cotonou Agreement and form part of the EU’s €300 billion infrastructure investment strategy known as the Global Gateway, which was designed to deliver sustainable and high-quality projects that take into account the developmental needs of partner countries.
Jutta Urpilainen, Commissioner for International Partnerships with the European Commission, also announced that some €36.5 million (BDS$72.1 million) will be made available for the region to help build food security.
At the same time, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Ricardo Mourinho Félix announced the launch of the Green and Inclusive Recovery Programme and the Caribbean Sustainable Water Management and Clean Oceans Programme, for which some €250 million was being made available in loans.
This comes as diplomats and other top government officials from both regions convened the first EU-Caribbean ministerial meeting in five years in what some have described as a renewal of partnership between the Caribbean and the EU.
Addressing a cocktail reception on Tuesday evening to launch the Caribbean-EU Partnerships 2021-2027, Urpilainen said it laid the framework “for a greener, more sustainable and more resilient Caribbean region”.
During the opening session of the ministerial meeting on Wednesday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, she said she was eager to deepen ties with the Caribbean, especially as the region continued to face a number of significant shocks from a range of external sources.
“It is why we are committing an additional €36.5 million to alleviate the food crisis in the region,” she announced.
“It is why we have started to work on rebooting our relationship with the broader Latin America and the Caribbean region in perspective of a Leader’s Summit next year, the first since 2015. It is why we have negotiated and agreed ON a landmark successor to the Cotonou Agreement with the ACP countries,” she said.
Urpilainen said the EU-ACP Cotonou Agreement “moves away from a purely donor-recipient model to a partnership among equals”.
She explained that under the Partnership for Green Deal, the EU will help the region catalyse resources.
The Partnership for Economic Resilience and Trade will see the EU deploying innovative financial instruments thereby eliminating the risks involved as they seek to attract more private sector investment in areas of common interest. The EU is also expected to bring the European Development Financing Institutions to the region.
Under the Partnership for Governance, Security and Human Development, Urpilainen said the EU and the Caribbean will work together to boost social cohesion, poverty reduction “and ensure that no individual is left behind”.
“With Global Gateway, we foster partnerships with countries around the world on digital, green, health, transport, education and research,” said Urpilainen.
“This means the Caribbean region will have access to the full scope of the EU’s economic, social, and political knowhow . . . To strengthen our partnership, the EU has committed a minimum of €800 million in grants for the Caribbean region from the new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe, and this does not include the other actors of Team Europe and the private sector which will maximise impact,” she announced.
“The Caribbean will also benefit from key initiatives between the EU and the broader Latin American and Caribbean region which we build towards the [leaders’] summit next year
“In addition, the EU-Latin America and Caribbean Digital Alliance gives the Caribbean access to a broad range of policy and financial support for digital innovation. It provides free and immediate access to Copernicus satellite data, which can help countries in the region respond to climate change and natural disasters,” she said.
“Our new flagship programme, in the vein of EUROsociAL, will give the Caribbean access to financing to strengthen education and health systems,” she added.
In his first mission to the Caribbean, Mourinho Félix reaffirmed the EIB’s commitment to supporting the region, telling the ministerial meeting that the financial institution was keen on an inclusive economic recovery in the region that was “just and resilient for all”.
During the Ministerial meeting, officials from CARIFORUM were expected to outline several priority areas for the region as they discuss possible opportunities under the new 2021-2027 EU-Caribbean Partnerships arrangement. (MM)
