A four-member Anguillian delegation, led by Chief Minister Hubert Hughes, will be attending the Eleventh Overseas Countries and Territories/European Union (OCT-EU) Forum in Greenland on September 26 and 27. The forum will be preceded on September 25 by the Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA) Ministerial Conference.
Permanent Secretary, Economic Development, Foster Rogers, a member of the delegation, left Anguilla at the beginning of this week to attend preparatory and other meetings in Greenland.
Chief Minister Hughes left the island on Thursday. The two other delegation members are Projects Officer, Mrs.Shantelle Richardson, who will be leaving here on Saturday, and Director of Fisheries, James Gumbs, who will be travelling from Canada to join the rest of the delegation in Ilulissat, Greenland.
The invitation to Anguilla for a delegation of four to attend the forum and conference was extended by the European Commission inBrussels. The OCT-EU Forum and OCTA Ministerial Conference will be financed by the 10th EDF Commission Technical Cooperation Facility. The funding includes travel and accommodation expenses for a minimum of four persons per OCT delegation.
The Forum is an annual event that brings together officials of the Overseas Countries and Territories, representatives of the member states with which they have special relations and the European Commission. The Forum enables the different partners to consult each other on the principles, detailed procedures and results of the association of the OCTs with the EU.
This year, the discussions will particularly concern the content of the European Commission’s proposal for a Council decision on the association of the OCTs with the EU for the post 2013 period.
Of special interest, will be a series of meetings on Wednesday, September 26, withMemberStatesand OCT Heads of Government. It is expected that these meetings will provide opportunities for delegates to make presentations relating to their individual countries and territories.
In addition to representatives of theUnited Kingdomand itsOverseasTerritories, delegates will also be in attendance, at the OCT-EU Forum, from the Kingdoms of the Netherlands and Demark and the French Republic.
