Pledging €1 billion in grants, European Union (EU) Deve-lopment Commis-sioner Andris Piebalgs said yesterday that his bloc remains committed to strong ties with the region but he urged that the Caribbean improve project implementation and adhere to the highest standards of accountability and transparency.
“The world has changed, the Caribbean region has changed and EU cooperation policy has changed too… We are well aware that such a change of strategy will still require financial resources. As a result, the EU is ready to invest €1 billion under the 11th EDF in grants for the Caribbean region,” the EU Development Commissioner said.
Piebalgs was speaking at the opening plenary of the two-day 11th European Development Fund Caribbean Regional Programming Seminar at the
