The future relation between the European Union and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs)

On Friday 3 October the European Commission (EC) organized a trilateral forum in which the relevant Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), member states and other stakeholders could discuss about the propositions on the future relation between the EU and OCTs that are posed in the Green Paper (presented on 25 June 2008).

The Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce Curaçao, Mr John Jacobs, was invited to participate in one of the round-table discussions. The Government of the Netherlands Antilles also set up a national forum
to reach a common point of view of the Netherlands Antilles on the Green Paper.

The deadline for comments on the Green Paper has expired recently and the European Commission will
probably receive suffi cient responses that will call for a thorough review of the relation between the European Union and the OCTs. As the current association arrangement (listed in the EC Treaty as the 21st OCT) will be valid until 2013, it is not to be expected that a new arrangement will be presented soon.

For further information:
www.antillenhuis.nl
www.nieuwsbank.nl