Speech to be delivered by EU Ambassador Mikael Barfod at the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the opening of an EU office in Barbados on 9 May 2016
May 10th, 2016 -- Protocol being established may I simply greet the Hon Prime Minister, the Hon. Ministers, the EU Member States Ambassadors or High Commissioner from UK and France, the EU Honorary Consuls, fellow diplomats, our National Authorising Officer, distinguished guest and members of the press.
Good morning and Happy Europe Day
40 years ago we were young. The European Economic Community (EEC) was around 20 years old when it met a 10-year old Barbados. With an age gap like that you would think that the friendship could not last. But it did. And the EEC also befriended others in the region. Now that the EU is near 60 and Barbados is close to 50 we no longer talk about the age gap but rather about what we have in common, what we have achieved together and what more we can do together, and that’s what I’ll try to talk about.
Forty years ago the, then, EEC opened an office in the 10-year old independent nation, Barbados. This was three years after the United Kingdom joined the EEC, which obviously encouraged Barbados and other independent Caribbean countries to establish this new relationship with Europe.
The four Lome Conventions from 1975 to 2000 provided financial & technical assistance and, not least, preferential treatment for sugar and rum, that was so important for Barbados’s economy at the time. In 2000 Barbados and its African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) partners negotiated with the EU the new Cotonou Agreement with more development opportunities and a stronger regional focus.
EU's partnership with Barbados has led to co-operation in such areas as education, health, agriculture and renewable energy to name a few. Of course, there are many projects that we are extremely proud of. Let me highlight a few. There is Pommarine Hotel Hospitality Institute, which trains especially young Barbadians going into the hospitality industry, which is so important for tourism. Other projects include the provision of laboratory equipment for the establishment of the Forensic Sciences Laboratory; expansion of the language laboratory at the Barbados Community College; the installation of a regional weather radar, and the upgrade to fish market including Oistins. Look at how the Oistins fish market is sprawling today.
Gradually we have moved away from the project approach to one where we try to cater to a wider development agenda, often using budget support. Therefore, at present our relationship with Barbados centres around the Human Resource Development Programme – which is over BDS$100 million and renewable energy.
In fact, over the past four decades the EU has provided close to 200 million euros in assistance to Barbados alone and just over 3 billion euros regionally. These huge amounts originate from all European Union countries, represented today by the UK and France at ambassadorial levels and several Honorary Consuls.
Official development assistance can act as a catalyst to unlock loan finance for sustainable development with the ultimate goal of promoting private investments. For this purpose, new instruments such as blending, debt and equity investments and other forms of innovative financing have been developed. Therefore, let me take this opportunity to announce that within the next year an office of the European Investment Bank will be opened here in Barbados to help facilitate some of these objectives.
The Caribbean was the first ACP region to negotiate an Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU (and Barbados was instrumental in process). Unlike what some commentators have said this is as much about increasing inter-regional trade as it is about trade with Europe. One of the catalysts for regional trade would be the revitalisation of regional integration. And here we have work to do to secure free movement of goods, services and trade in a single market (something we know a lot about in Europe). In the future the partnership will be further defined by a more regional agenda as national grants will be gradually replaced by regional integration support. Also, OCTs and the huge EU aid to its outermost regions in the Caribbean has positive potential for the entire region.
There are also new challenges as it relates to respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. These values are also crucial for a sustainable development model. In recent years, Caribbean countries have been confronted with trans-regional security threats related to terrorism, organised crime, all forms of human trafficking, increasing violent crime, as well as trafficking in illegal drugs and weapons. These risks are heightened by persistent or growing inequality and high levels of unemployment, particularly amongst young people. Building resilience of the most vulnerable people is still a challenge. Also, in many Caribbean countries, gender inequalities still persist and violence against women and girls continues to undermine efforts to reach development goals, as does many other human rights issues. Many human rights issues also exist within the EU to varying degrees. I think the EU and the Caribbean owe it to themselves to fight human rights matters together.
The continued relationship between the Caribbean and the EU is taking place in a fast changing and increasingly multi-polar world. The future relationship between the EU and countries such as Barbados will have to adapt to the new realities. The relationship between the EU and its fast evolving partners in the Caribbean and other ACP countries, has long ago expanded beyond development cooperation and trade into the political sphere. We need each other to attain global public goods, related to sustainable development goals, climate change (where the EU is a world frontrunner), peace and security, migration, health, financial issues and food security. We need to work together in robust alliances in the UN and other international fora to achieve our many common goals.
After forty years I'm sure Barbados and its Caribbean colleagues trust the EU to be considerate of their needs, even as relationships are updated. And let me assure you, if there is any doubt: when it comes to vulnerability, be it from climate change or other sources, the EU will continue to ‘cover your backs’ from disaster risk management, to humanitarian aid to reconstruction. The flash flooding in St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in December 2013, as well as Dominica last year are clear examples.
At the mature age of 60 and 50, the EU and Barbados have learnt how to work together in order to improve our respective societies and regions in a complex world. Let’s keep it up. And inspired by the common saying, which is often used when people turn 40: “Today is the first day of the rest of our partnership”. In brackets I might add: “you ain’t seen nothing yet!”
Thank you – over to classicist harmonies from Haydn and then to the more contemporary words from the Prime Minister.
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