MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Tahiti calls for a OCTA “united strategy”

“A united strategy based on common interests is always fruit-bearing”, French Polynesia President Oscar Temaru said Wednesday in his opening speech before the three-day 4th Ministerial Conference of the European Union Association of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTA) in Tahiti, according to a report from TahitiPress.

"These meetings enable our small communities, sometimes so different, to return to their founding values of generosity, exchange and sharing. Values that are lost when they're diluted within most of the big countries because of the rivalry and economic competition generated by the constraints of globalization" said Mr. Temaru.

The French Polynesia President acknowledged the work accomplished in recent years by OCT, originally created in 1957 by the former European Economic Community, today the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Rome defined the OCT association's objectives, which are part of the treaty that created the EU. OCT' purpose is to promote economic and social development of member countries and territories and establish close economic relations between them and with the EC as a whole. There are 21 OCT members scattered around the globe.

OCTA current president is Caryl Monte from the Nederland Antilles.

President Temaru praised the work accomplished by OCT which has helped "put the association on the map and to speak as one voice despite culture, language and/or development differences among its members".

The ministerial meeting takes place in the framework of the Third Dialogue Forum on future relations between OCTA and European Union country members. Most of Wednesday's ministerial conference session was dedicated to drafting an OCT joint declaration on relations with EU country members to be presented at the Dialogue Forum.

"It's on the basis of this declaration which we will determine our (OCT) common position and how we link with EU member states, particularly before those EC officials with greatest responsibility, who will then have the necessary visibility to defend OCT interests", underlined president Temaru.

Thursday sessions focused on economy and development, and future relations between OCT and the EU. Friday, specific issues will be covered, including introduction of the Euro in overseas countries and territories and a debate on European Community tax measures.

Looking ahead into the Dialogue Forum deliberations Mr. Temaru was also critical saying that OCTA members are "not spoilt children" who want to benefit from a close partnership with Europe while refusing the constrictions involved and called for a shared convention of OCT and EU member countries, leaving behind the "current enclosed statutory system". It's essential that OCTA can participate of a convention which will recognize OCT as distinctive entities inside the EU, with specific financing clearly identified in the heart of the overall budget of the EC and eventually "program economic development in the context of micro-economies", concluded president Temaru.

Speaking for EU countries European Commission Development Director Stefano Manservisi underlined that in the scenario of an enlarged 25-nation European Union OCT members not only do they have a right to belong but "it is also the duty of those overseas possessions to exist, to make themselves present". They are part of the European family, "even if they are not fully integrated like other regions of European members", highlighted Mr. Manservisi who went on to say that thee Forum is the chance to have a whole picture of the cooperation and nature of relations which link the EU with OCTA members. "In the end it's a kind of forum in which on the basis of a common document we can make an overall review", said Mr. Manservisi. "It's important not only because of the current overview, but to prepare for the future. The main priority consists in how from a strong EU-OCTA bilateral cooperation, we can become a cooperation where the regional integration dimension can have greater weight, greater influence", argued the EU Development Director. This new integration relationship with participation in the economic sharing agreements "can only be possible if we learn to respect differences", emphasized Mr. Manservisi.

However mush of the discussions were overshadowed by EU officials intent to convince French Polynesia participation in the coming May referendum.

Currently France and its overseas territories prepare to vote May 28/29 on whether to approve a draft constitutional treaty intended to help the EU cope with 25 members, after 10 new countries joined May 2004.

However the latest polls suggest that a majority of voters in some countries, including France and Britain, could reject the treaty, partly because of fears about economic deregulation. Thus, the 3rd Forum dealing with future relations between OCTA and the EU comes at a critical moment for the French referendum.