MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Councillors in EU OCT ministerial meeting in Tahiti

Two Falkland Islands Councillors will be participating at the European Union Overseas Countries & Territories EU meeting in Tahiti, French Polynesia scheduled for this week. Ian Hansen and Mike Summers left the Islands last Saturday.

Preparatory meetings took place Tuesday and Wednesday the OCT Ministerial Conference will be officially inaugurated.

On Thursday there will be sessions focusing on Economy and Development and Future Relations between OCT and the EU.

On Friday some specific issues will be covered including introducing the Euro in overseas countries and territories and a debate on EC tax measures.

Dating back to 1957, the EEC created "the association of the overseas countries and territories".

The objectives of the OCT association were laid down in Articles 131-135 of the Treaty of Rome, now Articles 182-188 of the Treaty establishing the European Community.

The purpose of this association, according to Article 182, is "to promote the economic and social development of the countries and territories and to establish close economic relations between them and the Community as a whole."

There are 21 OCT scattered around the globe of which twelve are British Overseas Countries and Territories: Anguilla, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena and Dependencies, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands. Bermuda is not included at its own request. (FIBS)