Mr. Anthony Smallwood, Chargé d’Affaires of the European Commission’s delegation to Trinidad and Tobago and Mrs. Victoria Mendez-Charles, National Authorising Officer at the Ministry of Planning and Development both lauded the initiative, with Mr. Smallwood introducing the European Union’s contribution to development aid in the Caribbean by explaining the differences between the European Development Fund (EDF), which is reserved for the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which is dedicated to the European region.

The Interreg IIIB programme, which falls under the ERDF, is concerned with international co-operative projects between the French Departments (Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana) and other Caribbean countries and cites, among its objectives, the fostering of greater economic and social cohesion among countries and territories of the Caribbean area.

Participants were given the opportunity to present their projects to the donor agencies present, which included the IDB and UNDP, and were also able to analyse the possibilities of partnering with institutions within the Community, according to the guidelines of the Interreg IIIB “Caribbean Space” programme.

Further information on the Interreg IIIB programme can be provided by Ms. Laurence Marianne, Interreg IIIB Project Officer based at the ACS Secretariat or on the website: http://www.interreg-caraibes.org

From left to right: Ms. Carol Williams-Mitchell, ACS Adviser on Projects and Resource Mobilisation; ACS Secretary General, Dr. Rubén Silié and Mr. Anthony Smallwood, Chargé d’Affaires of the European Commission’s delegation to Trinidad and Tobago