Luxembourg, 22/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - The offices of the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the Caribbean region were officially opened by Bank President Philippe Maystadt in Fort-de-France (Martinique) on 21 May. The new office will play a key role in achieving the EIB's aims. The EIB has made a commitment to build closer ties with its customers and to expand operations in the Caribbean region, as part of the ACP-EU Cotonou Partnership Agreement and the Investment Facility, an EIB-managed risk-bearing instrument for ACP and OCT countries funded by EU member states through the European Development Fund (EDF).
In a press release, the EIB says that the new regional representative office will help develop stronger links with Caribbean government authorities and its business community, and with multinationals, such as the Caribbean Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank. It will also support the strengthening of synergies with the other European development cooperation players in the Caribbean region: the European Commission through its local delegations, and the Bank's partners in the European Development Financing Institutions (EDFIs) group, notably the Agence Française de Développement, with which the EIB now shares its Martinique office.
The EIB also says that the Fort-de-France office “will add value in terms of operations and flexibility, by offering a single point of contact and advice on European Investment Bank financing of projects, for potential investors from the Bahamas in the north through to Trinidad in the south as well as the British, Dutch and French overseas countries and territories”. This is the fourth EIB regional representative office for the ACP countries. Mr Maystadt said: “As with the other regional representative offices in Dakar, Nairobi and Pretoria, the EIB's office in the Caribbean underlines the Bank's willingness and commitment to reinforce its support to all ACP countries under the Cotonou Agreement. It will be key to ensure the implementation of the Bank's strategy for the region”. (ol)