The Caribbean islands constitute one of the principal hubs for drugs produced in Latin America and destined principally for Europe. This is a cause of tension for both the European Union countries and a number of Caribbean countries where drug traffickers rule in certain urban neighbourhoods. The Caribbean is also a platform for money laundering.
The fight against drug trafficking in the...
Europe once again played host to the SFINKS festival, where the greatest names in music headlined and the artists of the future were revealed. For its 22nd edition which took place from July 29 to 31, 2011 the ' SFINKS Mixed' festival (the festival has always avoided using the term "world music" since all music is considered to be world music) has transformed the small city of...
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has moved up a gear in the past two years when it comes to financing small and medium-sized enterprises in the ACP countries. This is in line with the pressing demands of the ACP Group, which on 15 July held a workshop on “Enhancing access to finance for SMEs”; seen as the backbone of ACP economies.
According to the December 2010 figures, the EIB...
Caribbean tourism has been showing signs of recovery in 2011, following two of the toughest years on record. But while international arrivals have been improving and returning to 2008 levels, visitors have been spending less in a market leading to worries about the sector’s diminishing profits in a still unpredictable global environment.
Tourism in the Caribbean is the region's...
Bar the occasional shock, in terms of arrivals numbers, there has been virtually uninterrupted growth in the tourism sector since the 1950s, according to the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), a specialised United Nations agency. The sector creates employment - especially in small island nations - and triggers development in other areas of the economy; construction, agriculture and...
A five-year EU-funded programme is helping to prevent blindness in some of the poorer countries of the Caribbean region; Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica and St. Lucia. It is being coordinated by the United Kingdom based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Sightsavers International, with its partners in the Caribbean.
The multi-faceted project is funding a range of measures from the training of...
Brussels was the location picked for the annual summit of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), 13-15 March. The intention was to draw attention of the EU to the “critically important role of tourism in the region to livelihood and poverty alleviation,” said Hugh Riley Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados-based CTO which represents 33 member countries and many private sector...
Most visitors to the Caribbean are shocked that it costs just as much to travel by air between the tropical islands as it would to North America. Is there any choice?
More than ever before Caribbean nationals have been calling for improved connections between the islands, reduced taxes on travel and an informed policy on regional travel from Governments of the CARICOM[i] trading bloc....
“We are presently engaged with those EPA partners still committed to the process in order to keep the negotiations on track and to deliver successful outcomes in the not so distant future”, says EU trade Commissioner, Karel De Gucht, in an interview with The Courier.
Only one ‘full’ EPA with CARICOM has been signed to date. How can EPA talks be given new impetus?...
The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the 15 member states of the Caribbean Forum for African, Caribbean and Pacific states (CARIFORUM) is to date the only ‘full’ EPA signed with the European Union (EU). This is the reason why other ACP regions are examining its bottlenecks and benefits two years after coming on stream.
Branford Isaacs, Head of the Guyana-based...