Dominica and the EU sign 8.9 million Euro Agreement to support post TS Erika rehabilitation efforts

​The Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica has signed an 8.9 million Euro Financing Agreement with the European Union, to further support rehabilitation efforts, after the damage caused by Tropical Storm Erika in 2015.
 
The Financing Agreement was signed by Hon Francine Baron, Dominica’s Minister for Foreign Affairs & Stefano Manservisi, European Commission Director General for International Co-operation and Development, at the recent EU-CELAC Summit held in the Dominican Republic.
 
The objective of the support programme is to continue to assist the country in its efforts to re-establish the full functioning of basic services in critical areas, enhance resilience on a nationwide basis and to improve public financial management. The focus of indicators for the disbursement of funds will be on water infrastructure, the energy sector and public financial management.
 
The overall post-Erika rehabilitation project, which will be carried out through the Ministry of Finance, is part of efforts of the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica to source concessionary and/or grant funding that will mitigate the effects of tropical weather phenomena.
 
The project is being financed under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF), & will be administered via the General Budget Support Programme. Immediately following the damage caused by Erika, the EU’s Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection Department provided EC$913,000 in emergency humanitarian funding to those most affected.
 
Meanwhile, during her accreditation visit to Dominica Ambassador Tramacere, also discussed other aspects of Dominica’s co-operation with the European Union, such as the programme of Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM). Dominica was allocated 15.27 million euros for the BAM, and to date, 95 per cent or 14.5 million euros of all BAM funds have been contracted.