Is it racism or bullyism by the EU?
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - REGIONAL economic policy makers are not mincing their words when it comes to the consistent blacklisting of territories across the Caribbean basin by the European Union (EU).
Bahamas Prime Minister Phillip Davis is leading the chorus, as he was the first to lambaste the EU for its inconsistent position and moving of the goal post on regulations that they expect territories to implement or face being blacklisted, and also deemed a jurisdiction that facilitates illicit flow of cash.
Davis, while addressing the 71st United Nations General Assembly, took the Union to task, pointing out that there is growing evidence that the EU discriminates against black economies and those of former colonies.
“When we look at the countries that are flagged as high risk and are blacklisted, several startling commonalities emerge. Why is it that European states that are offering framework that are akin to that of blacklisted countries are not eligible for the inclusion on these list?” questioned Davis.
His comment came ahead of his territory being placed on the list of non-compliant jurisdictions.
Ironically, it has been posited in numerous articles that some of the same regulations being imposed on the Caribbean and other small states are not being mandated for territories within the Union.
Now, the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), Timothy Antoine, is supporting the Caribbean Leader, telling SKNVibes News that recently the topic was not discussed with the Leaders of the International Monetary Fund, but there is evidence to support the position articulated by Prime Minister Davis.
“There is irrefutable evidence that most of the countries that are being blacklisted happen to be of African descent!” the Governor exclaimed. “I don’t think there is any question about that. I will leave you to conclude why that is so.”
The Governor had spoken on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the IMF and World Bank.
A similar position was articulated by the Finance Minister in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Camillo Gonsalves, who was more blunt in his assessment of the EU’s position, explaining that both the EU and the United States have history of flexing their muscles against the powerless.
“The blacklist as it currently stands, objectively, is a list of non-while countries with limited, either in terms of population or in terms of wealth or in terms of military. And, the history of blacklist and the use of blacklist, both by the United States and the European Union, has been a history of leveraging that power against the powerless, “ suggested Gonsalves.
Media reports, including those by the UK Guardian, pointed to more than $400 billion being smuggled in the EU.
Meanwhile, Gonsalves reminded that it is the ECCB Governor who has been advocating for the Subregion in the world on the issue of blacklisting and bringing an end to a major gripe for regional leaders.
The Governor, on the sidelines of the just concluded 2022 Annual Meeting of the Iinternational Monetary Fund and the World Bank, met with representatives of the United States Government to broach a solution to the vexing problem.
