EU proposes new partnership instead of LGO

June 27, 2008 5:21 AM

The European Committee is going to propose a new partnership for the countries and territories overseas of EU-country members, including the Neth.Antilles and Aruba. When the LGO-decision expires on December 31, 2013, this partnership must partly or totally replace the current regulation. The Committee organizes from July 1 till October 17 inclusive an online reference on this subject.

The European Committee wants to start a broad discussion on the relation between the EU and the LGO and has published today a ‘green paper’ on the future relations with the countries and territories overseas. According to the Committee, a future partnership be tuned to the specific status, needs, problems, and potentials of the total 21 island territories.
The close ties, the mutual interests, and the solidarity between the countries and territories overseas and the EU must at the same time be acknowledged. “The countries and territories overseas are of great value to Europe”, said European commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, Louis Michel. “Considering the globalization, we must acknowledge that relationships originated with the classic development-cooperation-model, are no longer of this time. It is therefore highly necessary to modernize the relation between the EU and the countries and territories overseas, so that we can better anticipate the new reality, the globalization, and the liberalization of the international trade.”
The countries and territories overseas are closely related to the EU, due to their special relations with the Netherlands, Denmark, France, and the United Kingdom. For historical reasons, the current relations are heavily based on the relation with countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
However, that does not justify to the specific social, economic, and ecologic challenges these countries and territories are currently priding themselves on, said the Committee.
(Source: Amigoe)

June 25, 2008