Following the EU-Cariforum summit which took place today in the framework of the IV EU-Latin America Summit in Vienna, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso announced a "substantial increase" of EU funding for the 10th EDF programme. He also promised an increase in direct EU assistance for the Caribbean and easier access to the existing funds. This is to be used above all to finance sustainable development of the region. Barroso also referred in his remarks to Europe's historical links with the Caribbean region. He said they should continue to be expanded and deepened in future. The EU itself hoped there would be further market integration between these two regions. Consequently, sugar and banana cultivation, an important sector of the Caribbean economy, had been another topic discussed .
Ralph E. Gonsalves, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, referred in his statement to the importance of the EU for the Caribbean economy. He called the EU a model for the future development of the region he represented at this summit. He announced closer cooperation with Europe in combating drug trafficking and in the fight against terrorism.
The Finnish President Tarja Kaarina Halonen announced a continuation of the dialogue through conferences in St. Kitts and Nevis and in Panama. These talks will focus on the development of economic relations for small and medium-sized businesses in particular, the development of the energy sector and exchanges in the education sector.
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