EU still big on development ... but funds will be closely monitored, says new head

Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer

Inhibited by the challenges affecting its member states, the European Union (EU) is to increase focus on monitoring the funds it disburses in grants to countries like Jamaica.

"One element that is certain is that we cannot ask our (European) citizens to be frugal and accept sacrifices and then be profligate outside Europe," declared Paola Amadei, the new head of the EU delegation in Jamaica.

"So I expect an increased monitoring of our programme and the expectations that we bring in development programme and value to the beneficiaries," she added.

The Italian national who set foot in Jamaica three weeks ago and received her papers from the Jamaican government last week, made this disclosure in an interview with The Sunday Gleaner, the first in her official capacity.

She replaces Ambassador Marco Alemanni whose four-year tenure ended in November 2011.

Jamaica has benefited from EU grants over the past two years totalling more than $9 billion, more than the total amount lent to the country in standby arrangements (loans) from the International Monetary Fund.

Significant boost

Last year, in addition to the $7.4 billion that it disbursed in grants, the Jamaican Government received a significant boost from the EU to help payments on the national debt.

It came by way of a $3.4-billion grant, with $2.5 billion going to debt payments, and the remainder earmarked to improve living conditions and growth prospects for Jamaicans.

Then prime minister Bruce Golding said in response to the grant: "The European Union is the largest source of grant funding for Jamaica, and I am not sure that the significance of this has been expressed."

Amadei conceded that the economic challenges bedevilling European states have triggered renewed focus on monitoring activities on its developmental projects, not only in Jamaica, but in Europe and other parts of the world as well.

"We have always carried out monitoring (exercises) but I think at this moment, there is even more pressing request from our citizens to do so, and I think it is a very positive step and should be viewed that way," she stressed.

She added that the dramatic changes to the economies and the level of need of European states that have unfolded over the last 18 months could not have been foreseen.

"And so it has become very necessary not to exclude changes also in the relations with the external work in terms of partnership and support (for non-European countries like Jamaica)," said Amadei. "And so I think there will be increased monitoring and increased expectations for results and impact on development cooperation."

She appeared optimistic that the EU will successfully weave its way out through the challenges. "The EU has gone through challenging times and continues to go through challenging times. There is no way to hide it," she declared.

She was quick to put a positive spin on the observation that the EU was like an orchestra playing disharmonious music.

Echoing the sentiment of the German leader, Angella Merkl, Amadei described the reference as an improvement over the past so that it can at least be likened to an orchestra. "It is quite positive that Europe can be compared to an orchestra, producing music instead of hearing rattling of the weapons."

Career path

Amadei's diplomatic experience has ushered her into the United Nations (UN) - its Consular Secretariat and then to the European Commission. She was posted in Colombia; in delegation at the UN in New York, working on human rights; then the state of Eritrea, a country in the Horn of Africa, for the past four years before coming to Jamaica.

Amadei has expressed disappointment that media reports on EU relations tended to be more negative, both in Europe and Jamaica. "There is always emphasis on what is not functioning, on the disturbances in the relationship, rather than subjects and areas in which we are in agreement," she lamented.

"It's a task for you as a journalist to help us to highlight these positive elements of the relationship, rather than focus on what is not working," she declared, emphasising that positives far outweigh the negatives. "We have to look at it because we don't want to sweep it under the carpet, but I think, ideally, we need to address the disturbances and then move on and focus on more positive agenda."

gary.spaulding@gleanerjm.com