Guadeloupe itself is a nine-island archipelago lying between Antigua and Dominica in the eastern Caribbean island chain. With a population of 436,000 and a per capita income of roughly US$9,000, it compares favourably in size and level of development with the majority of CARICOM members. Services, mainly tourism, are 68 per cent of the economy.

Like the other Departments Francais d’Amerique (DFAs), Guyane and Martinique, Guadeloupe is constitutionally an integral part of the French Republic. Its residents are French citizens who travel freely to mainland France, vote in French presidential and parliamentary elections, and enjoy the full benefits of French social services.

But Guadeloupe is also Caribbean. Its verdant and volcanic landscape, its climate, its people and its rhythms, have an unmistakable Caribbean stamp and feel. The visitor experiences the surreal sensation of being in a Caribbean world enclosed in a French capsule.

Guadeloupe and the two other French DFAs have developed a strong interest in developing links with their Caribbean neighbours. The decision to join the ACS in 1994, as an Associate Member represented by France, was a strategically important move.

Now this is being bolstered by financial support from the European Union (EU). Guadeloupe, Guyane and Martinique have been designated as the three American Euro-regions that will benefit from special funding from Brussels to promote regional cooperation. The `Caribbean Space’ programme launched in Guadeloupe on February 20-21 is part of the wider EU INTERREG III -B programme with this objective.

The funding provided is 24 million Euros. Regional cooperation projects can be developed with any of the ACS member states, with the US and British affiliated Caribbean countries, and with other South American and North American countries.

The priorities are (i) sustainable development (ii) information and innovation (iii) enterprise development and training in tourism, industry and crafts and (iv) technical assistance. Full details are provided on the programme’s website www.interreg-caraibes.org.

The ACS has been appointed to the Monitoring Committee of the programme and is one of four designated Regional Contact Points for advertisement and promotion. Project enquiries will be routed to mail@acs-aec.org with Caribbean Space programme as the subject.

At the launch of the programme, the President of the Guadeloupe Regional Council, Mme. Lucette Michaux-Chevry, argued strongly for greater flexibility in the application of EU travel regulations in the Caribbean in the interest of facilitating freer movement of people between the French Departments and their neighbours.

In her message, French DOM Minister, Mme. Brigitte Girardin, stressed the importance of Interreg III in promoting the integration of the three euro-regions in their Caribbean space.

Acting Director-General of the Organisation of the East Caribbean Secretariat, George Goodwin, also called for greater flexibility and creativity in funding cooperation projects within the OECS countries.

Now it’s up to the three Euro-regions and their Caribbean neighbours to make use of this funding. The impending Regional Economic Partnership Agreements (REPAs) will open up new trading opportunities for the private sector with the French Departments. Education institutions may explore language and technical training possibilities with their francophone counterparts.