KRALENDIJK, WILLEMSTAD - Representatives of the EU Desk Curaçao recently participated in a training program on the use of European funds. The program, which also marked the introduction of Mr. Edison Rijna as a special representative of the Kingdom for European funds for the BES islands, took place in Bonaire. The organization was under the Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Netherlands and was officially opened by the Secretary of State for the Dutch Caribbean, Ms. Alexandra van Huffelen.
All six islands that used to form the Netherlands Antilles were represented during the program. From Curaçao, Ms. Judric Pietersz, who is responsible for European funds for the development of the Ministry of General Affairs, and a delegation from the EU Desk Curaçao, led by Ms. Vanessa Toré, who is Head of the International Commercial Cooperation Section of the Ministry of Economic Development and also Head of the EU Desk Curaçao, attended.
During the training, the participants discussed their experiences and the needs of each island regarding European funds. Basically, there are two types of European funds: development funds that go to the government level and so-called horizontal funds that go between the European Union and other organizations, which do not necessarily have to be government organizations.
In Curaçao, the Ministry of General Affairs deals with European Development Funds, while EU Desk Curaçao, which is celebrating its first five-year anniversary this year, has created a structure to inform and assist local organizations in their application for Horizontal Funds.
Participants from all the islands liked the model developed by EU Desk Curaçao and showed a lot of interest in receiving more information about it. Topics discussed during the sessions included the need to increase capacity to write proposals to obtain funding through the European Union model, the need for funding to improve connectivity, and the need to increase food security.
All participants emphasized the desire to collaborate more with each other and continue sharing information. They finally formed a cooperation group and identified different projects that the collective will work on in the coming months. Among these projects are increasing knowledge on applying for funds and developing a common work plan to realize projects that prioritize connectivity and food security.
EU Desk Curaçao representatives were very pleased with the results of the three days of work, and as part of their anniversary celebration, they included this plan as an integral part of their activities. Soon, EU Desk Curaçao will hold different workshops and presentations for local organizations in which they will share their new knowledge and help them increase their capacity to apply for European Funds.