MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bureaucratic hurdles slow EU aid to Falklands

Reporting on the meeting of the Falkland Islands Executive Council (ExCo) held at Government House on July 27th, Governor Pearce said that some 3 million euros (£2.06 million) allocated to the Falklands from the 9th European Development Fund in November 2001, had still not found their way into the Islands' Treasury.

The Islands' Executive Council, whose formal constitutional purpose is to advise the Governor, but which in reality runs all of the affairs of the Falklands except for Defence and Foreign Policy, was informed by the Financial Secretary, Derek Howatt, that this allocation had not been delivered, despite the fact that what was described as a "Single Programming Document" requesting budgetary support for trade development was prepared and agreed by the European Commission in 2004, following consultation with the Falkland Islands Government (FIG).

A draft Financing Proposal was submitted in January 2005 to the Europaid Cooperation Office (AIDCO), which was, in turn, redrafted in February 2006, with further amendments following from the meeting on June 21st of the European Commission's Interservice Support Group.

ExCo last week agreed the finished Proposal, which calls for the release of the funds in two tranches, dependent upon the meeting of certain criteria. If accepted by the European Commission it will form the basis of a Financing Agreement between the EEC and FIG.

Speaking to Mercopress this week, FIG Financial Secretary, Mr.Howatt, said that while the slow progress in obtaining the allocated funds was unfortunate, it was by no means disastrous.

John Fowler (Mercopress) Stanley