MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands’ government to attend annual EU/OCTs forum in New Caledonia
MLA Roger Edwards will be representing the Falklands The Falkland Islands government will be attending the annual European Union and Overseas Countries and Territories Forum in the French Overseas Territory of New Caledonia (Melanesia, Southwest Pacific) from 28th February to 4th March.
Elected Member of the Legislative Assembly, Roger Edwards has been nominated to represent the Falklands.
This annual event is fully sponsored by the EU and alternates between being hosted in Brussels one year and an Overseas Territory the next.
The five day event allows the 25 Overseas Territories associated with the EU to meet with officials from the European Commission along with the European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs.
The four Member States (UK, The Netherlands, Denmark and France) that have OCTs are also represented at the Forum and feed into discussions on a broad range of issues such as trade, environment, development funding and political concerns.
This year the majority of the forum will focus on the key issue of future EU-OCT relations. The current EU Decision that governs the relationship between the Territories and the EU is due to expire in 2013.
Over the past 12 months much work has gone into consulting on how this relationship should be structured in the future, and much of this consultation shall be reviewed and finalised at the Forum.
There is also to be a morning dedicated to the issue of environmental conservation in OCTs and the development of renewable energy. The Falkland Islands are due to present on these issues.
The Falkland Islands Government Representative in London, Sukey Cameron and Senior Economist, Michael Poole, will support Councillor Roger Edwards at the Forum.
An FIG spokesperson says that this is an excellent opportunity for FIG to present their views to the EU and for all territories to meet together and discuss common issues.
Top Comments
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Read all commentsNo denouncement from the Argie government? official representation of the Falkland Islands? Islas Malvinas no longer belong to them?
Feb 23rd, 2011 - 07:57 pm 0They are too busy thinking of a reason to make a claim for New Caledonia. So far they have come up with its a long way from France and its an Island.
Feb 23rd, 2011 - 08:34 pm 0”This all began nine years after the war in 1954 when an advertisement in the Portsmouth News attracted the attention of the young Roger Edwards, together with several other local boys
Feb 24th, 2011 - 12:39 am 0Roger Edwards at the time was living with his family at Leydene House (now called Observatory House) in Clanfield. He was working for the Ferris family at North Farm which is just off the Hambledon Road. Roger, attracted by the advert, swiftly mounted his bicycle to find out more. It transpired that a Mr Matthews who lived at Green Lane, Clanfield was recruiting on behalf of a Keith Luxton the Farm Manager at Chartres in the West Falkland Island. He was employing local men for various sheep farms in the Falklands The ship left Southampton on 16 February 1954. Roger had taken the trouble to discover the whereabouts of the Falklands but there were some on the ship who honestly believed they were going to Scotland!”
Mr Edwards should take a few days to relax in nearby Bora Bora, then finally take the long fly back to England where he belongs.
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