POINTE-A-PITRE, Guadeloupe – The European Union’s Regional Development Fund (ERDF) will fund two major sustainable development projects in the Dutch and French Caribbean under the INTERREG IV Caribbean program.
Organizers attending the recent International Summit of the program, held in Puerto Rico from November 28 to 29, announced that it will fund the Belle Plaine project, whose objective is to finance anti-flood studies and implement economic activities between Marigot, St. Martin and Philipsburg St. Maarten to the tune of $1.49 million Euros (close to US$2 million).
“Gens de la Caraibe”, a regional cultural organization based in Guadeloupe, will receive 536,260 Euros (approximately US$700,000) for the Kamacuka project which involves the creation of a professional network for the Caribbean-Amazonian cultural sector, benefiting all countries and territories of the region.
The INTERREG program aims to make a major contribution to the common interest of sustainable development of the greater Caribbean region and to integrate the French Overseas Countries and Territories with the rest of the region.
The selection committee for development projects is headed by the Regional Council of Guadeloupe, which is the entity in charge of managing the INTERREG IV program, as well as representatives of the regional councils of Martinique and French Guyana and officials from St. Martin.
Many representatives of regional organizations, including CARICOM (Caribbean Community), the OECS (Organization of Eastern Caribbean States) and the ACS (Association of Caribbean States) also took part in the last week’s San Juan summit whose success augurs well for regional cooperation.
