Government of the Federated States of Micronesia

Region to benefit from European Union Aid

PALIKIR, Pohnpei (FSM Information Service): July 13, 2001 - The Federated States of Micronesia, along with 13 Pacific member states of the ACP-EU group are to receive EURO 29 million for regional development over the next five years, reported the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

The report released on July 10 said the amount is in addition to substantial individual EU allocations made to the countries on a bilateral basis:

The Secretary General of the Forum Secretariat, Mr. W. Noel Levi, CBE, expressed gratitude for the EU's continued assistance to the Pacific Region. The EURO 29 million allocation is to be considered an initial amount that can be revised upward depending on performance targets being met, and if further development initiatives are warranted.

The Secretary General, Forum Secretariat is mandated by the region's Leaders to act as Regional Authorising Officer for the European Development Fund.

As signatories to the Cotonou Agreement, Pacific ACP states entered into a new Partnership Agreement with the EC in June 2000. The main objective of the agreement is to eradicate poverty in all 77 ACP countries (Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific) by 2020.

In April 2001 the 14 Pacific ACP members agreed in Suva that over the next five years EU regional assistance will target:

  1. Economic Regional Integration (to include private sector development, trade and investment and tourism); natural resources and economic infrastructure.

  2. Human Resource Development, covering education and training in all sectors; environment, good governance and the private sector.

In addition, regional funds will be used to address development in marine and land resources, vulnerability and the environment. This includes direct support to the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific.

Past EU regional assistance has included support to tourism, agriculture, energy, telecommunications, fisheries, shipping, meteorology, civil aviation and education.

All 14 Forum Island Countries (Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) are now members of the ACP group.

The European Union is the largest donor for FICs with more than EURO $1 billion provided over the past 25 years under the Lome Agreement, now succeeded by the Cotonou Agreement.

FSM became a signatory to the Cotonou Accord when Vice President Redley Killion signed the agreement in November 2000 in Brussels.