Interreg Caribbean monitoring committees

Concrete projects for Saint-Martin defended by President Gibbs

On Thursday December 6 and Friday December 7, 2018, the President of the Community of Saint-Martin, Mr. Daniel Gibbs, participated in the Committees of Monitoring and Selection of the INTERREG Caribbean Operational Program for European Territorial Cooperation (ETC), held at the Père Pinchon Museum, in Fort-de-France in Martinique.

Today, the Community of Saint-Martin and President Gibbs are strengthening their participation and involvement within European bodies. It is about being a force for proposals and defending, as best as possible, the interests of the outermost regions in general and those of Saint-Martin in particular.

With particular regard to regional cooperation, the policy of the COM of Saint-Martin is deployed along three major axes:

- By fully assuming the mandates of presidency of the ARUP and the Conference of Presidents of the ORs, which will involve lobbying actions adapted to Paris, Brussels and the other ORs;

- By carrying out an institutional process of regional integration ambitious: with the status of (i) Associate Member of the AEC, and (ii) Observer Member of the OECS (2019), with a view to eventually becoming Associate Member of this organization;

- By bringing projects to fruition (e.g. Meteorological Radar, Leeward Islands Geothermal and Digital Interconnection Hub, CROSS Antenna for sea navigation, etc.) with the OCTs and States around us.

During his opening speech, President GIBBS recalled: “Regional cooperation is, in a way, in the DNA of Saint-Martin”.

He also wanted to emphasize four themes that will allow us to move forward together, namely:

I. Avoid, at all costs, automatic releases at the end of 2018 and, above all, at the end of 2019.

II. Defend the interests of the ORs during the negotiation of post-2020 programs

“We will have to spend “a lot” and “well” in order to be able to claim an increase in envelopes for the next program…”< br />
III. Promoting renewable energies and adaptation to climate change: “this is, for our Caribbean territories, an imperative necessity, I would even say vital! »

IV. Improving the FED / FEDER connection,

“Essential in Saint-Martin for obvious geoeconomic reasons… I recall, for this purpose, that the FED allocations devoted to regional cooperation in the Caribbean zone reach 40 M. € (…)”

Moreover, President Gibbs focused on two issues, particularly concerning the territory of Saint-Martin:

• On the one hand, the creation of a “Reconstruction” axis on INTERREG Caribbean

The road to reconstruction is still long and will inevitably call on national and European solidarity: it must be done underline and recall it.

The COM of Saint-Martin therefore wants the rapid realization of a reconstruction axis specifically dedicated to regional cooperation, and with a co-financing rate of 95% and dedicated financial resources.

There is no shortage of projects:

 Reconstruction of maritime terminals

 Treatment and recovery of waste

 CROSS antenna for navigation at sea

 Resilient Data Center

• On the other hand, the Leeward Islands Geothermal and Digital Interconnection Hub Project

This mainly involves promoting renewable energies (ENR) in general, and geothermal energy in particular. This project is particularly close to our hearts because it represents a major axis of sustainable development for our reference area.

The challenge is indeed important: reconciling the development of these ENRs with the essential security energy of our islands:

“I am therefore, of course, in favor of continuing the studies, of pre-feasibility first, then of feasibility of this beautiful and large project, so that we can go from ahead of 2019."

Two emblematic projects, of interest to our island, were also discussed: SXM Festival (for the relaunch of tourist activity) and CARIBIX, in partnership with the Caribbean Telecommunication Unit .

In this proactive and constructive spirit, the deliberations were fruitful.

It was finally decided that the next INTERREG Committee would be held in Saint-Martin, during May 2019.

As a reminder:

INTERREG Caribbean is a program allowing operators from Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique and Saint-Martin to implement “win-win” projects with their neighbors in the Caribbean, i.e. more than forty countries and territories.

This operational program is part of a privileged partnership with international organizations with a regional vocation in the Caribbean which are: the AEC (Association of Caribbean States), the OECS (Organization of Caribbean States of the Eastern Caribbean), CARICOM/CARIFORUM (Caribbean Community/Caribbean Forum), member organizations of the program's strategic steering bodies.

It is also part of working in coherence with the strategies of other international organizations in the Caribbean such as ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean), SICA/SIECA (Central American Integration System/Secretariat of Central American Economic Integration) and the Caribbean OCTs .

As such, INTERREG Caribbean benefits from a budget of approximately 85.7 million euros, including 64.2 million under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to support projects responding to the program strategy and the needs of the territories. It is appropriate to