It has not yet been decided how much funding will be made available to Anguilla, but the island is to share in a grant of 40 million Euros provided under the 11th EDF programme during the period 2017-2020.
In Anguilla on Wednesday this week, to discuss the matter, were three consultants: Mr. Paul Sijssens, Team Leader; Mr. Fabio Guoli and Mr. Joe Ryan. They met at the Ministry of Finance with a number of Government officials including Mr. Curtis Richardson, Minister of Infrastructure; Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, Minister of Home Affairs with responsibility for Environment; and Permanent Secretaries and other persons drawn from the Ministries of Infrastructure, Finance and the Environment. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Bancroft Battick, Chief Engineer at the Department of Infrastructure.
The EDF allocation will concentrate on Sustainable Energy and Marine Biodiversity in twelve Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs). In addition to Anguilla, the other beneficiaries of the funding are four British territories: the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands; six Dutch territories: Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten; and one French Territory: St. Barthelemy.
The EDF regional funding is aimed at building resilience to the effects of climate change, striving towards a low carbon economy and ensuring sustainable economic development in the Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories.
During the meeting there were discussions on various ways in which the funding could be used in the designated areas of sustainable energy and marine biodiversity. Mr. Richardson, the Minister of Infrastructure, confirmed that Anguilla needs assistance in both areas and offered some specifics like solar energy and fishing. He mentioned, for example, that of all the territories, Anguilla has the largest fishing zone – some 200 miles to the north.
The consultants said that the level of funding for each of the recipient territories would be determined at a meeting in Curacao in September. It is assumed that by then the territories would have decided how they intend to use the funds allocated to them. The consultants were of the view that by January 2017 the territories should aim at beginning their projects. They were also of the view that Anguilla was ahead of most of the territories because of its initiatives and policies on sustainable energy and marine biodiversity.
