GEORGETOWN, Guyana – SECRETARY General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States (CARIFORUM) Mr. Irwin LaRocque feels that new European Union (EU) external aid policies of using per capita income to determine ACP countries eligibility for development assistance is misguided.
Even as he expressed CARIFORUM”s deep appreciation for the support of the EU and its European Development Fund (EDF) Grant assistance over the years, he said that this was one issue on which the CARIFORUM countries differ with the EU.
He said that the EU external aid policies based on principles of differentiation (differentiated levels of development assistance) and graduation from ACP/ EU development cooperation should be reviewed.
