[www.inewsguyana.com] – Ambassador of the European Union to Guyana, Jernej Videtič, has responded to former President, Donald Ramotar, who had accused the EU of not delivering on a €25 million agreement.
In a letter published on the official Facebook Page of the Delegation of the European Union in Guyana, the Ambassador made it clear that it was the former PPP government which did not deliver on the terms of the agreement due to the prorogation of Parliament and “little progress in public finance management reforms.”
“It must be remembered that these funds are European citizen’s taxes, and we have a duty to carefully ensure all of our criteria are met before any funds can be released,” the Ambassador wrote.
He further noted that the National Assembly is now sitting and parliamentary oversight is again in place, and that the EU is working closely with the APNU+AFC government to reestablish eligibility criteria to bring these budget support programmes back on track.
See the Ambassador’s response in full below:
Dear Editor,
I note that in his letter of 20 October 2015 regarding Guyana’s sugar industry, former president Donald Ramotar claims that “the EU did not deliver the €25 million that we had earned and had an agreement on”.
In fact, it was the previous government of Guyana that did not deliver on the terms of the agreement with the EU, including by making little progress in public finance management reforms and by effectively suspending parliamentary oversight of the budget through the prorogation of the parliament. It must be remembered that these funds are European citizen’s taxes, and we have a duty to carefully ensure all of our criteria are met before any funds can be released.
The National Assembly is now sitting and parliamentary oversight is again in place, and we are working closely with the Government to reestablish eligibility criteria to bring these budget support programmes back on track.
Mr Ramotar also implies that the sugar industry’s difficulties were caused “by the changed trading arrangement of the European Union”. I would like to note that the EU sugar regime was changed not due to a unilateral decision by the EU, but due to a ruling by the World Trade Organisation.
In order to mitigate the effects of this ruling the European Union has given over €110 million – that is 26 billion Guyanese dollars – to Guyana to restructure its sugar industry. The European Union has been a strong and reliable partner of Guyana for over forty years, and will continue to be in the future.
Yours faithfully,
Jernej Videtič,
Ambassador of the European Union to Guyana
i would to know is the level of your learning? next thing it look lik u r living in the pass, there is no pnc now ”dummy valesha” on top of that guyana is a more edifying nation now,is young ppl wit a more free mind now not ppl lik u insighting hate.u need to isolate ur self from civilization
IAN HARRY! PLEASE WATCH HAIRY POTTER AND EDUCATE YOURSELF! It is very clear you are living in a world of DENIAL! Are you ashamed to admit that SINCE the APNU took office, crime rate went from 6% to 45%! These are facts, not based on assumptions that the PPP has stolen money from the government! So far, the APNU has not prove a thing against the PPP except talks and gimmicks! The APNU promised rice farmers $9000 per month instead they are paying them $900 pennies! Buxton has been on the rise again for thief! Similar to the PNC days looting and killing people! SHAME that you ALL are living in denial….read the news on the crime rate since APNU took office….Let me guess! RUM JATTAN is busy at the bar!
Ms Valesha keep the good work and simply ignore the illiterate bullies who calls the intelligent uneducated .They obviously fail to reconise our country’s economy is dangerously deteriorating with little hope of recovery .Guyana have not move a single step forward since the new leader took office.All their focus is based on higher income for its ministers and blaming the previous administration for corruption with no evidence.
Valesha you really are unintelligent….. Your PPP party went around with their begging bowl to all and sundry collected the funds from the international community without either undertaking the works or programmes the money was destined for. The projects they did undertake producing the substandard work for the millions being bandied about by them indicated the majority of the funds were syphoned off..The previous government failed to grasp that those funds they received were from tax payers of the international community not money they found dangling on trees…. Once the international community started putting the squeeze on your PPP government you all had the nerve to run down the ambassadors for withholding the funds… Watching that Uncle Tom mouthpiece calling the then British High Commissioner untrustworthy was the height of ignorance and shame….what you and your PPP supporters fail to grasp is that everyone wanted you out and luckily we all got our wish!!!
VALESHA YOU ARE ANGRY BECAUSE YOU LOST THE ELECTION. THIS NEW GOVERNMENT IS CLEANING UP THE MESS PPP LEFT BEHIND 23 YRS IN POWER AND GUYANA IS STILL A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY .AND THE DIRTEST COUNTRY ON THE PLANET . THE NAME CALLING START STARTS , THE CRIME RATE STARTED WITH THE PPP MAFIA STYLE GOVERNMENT , LOOK WHAT THEY DO TO THE POOR BLACKS . THAT WAS A RACIST GOVERNMENT.THEY STOLE BILLIONS ,GIVE LAND TO THEIR FRIENDS MONEY LONDERRING . ECT. DRUGS ,THE ECONOMY WAS FALLING BEFORE THIS NEW GOVT , SO BLAME IT ON THE BLACK MAN LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO,YOUARE RACIST AND ANGRY BECAUSE THE EU AND US IS TRYING TO TAKE GUYANA OUT OF THAT MAFIA STYLE GOVT THANK GOD FOR THEM THEY KNEW WHAT THE PPP MAFIA STYLE GOVT WAS UP TOO.,THEY SAW WHAT THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT WAS DOING TO THE POOR BLACKS PPP WILL NEVER RULE GUYANA AGAIN , WITH THEIR CAST SYSTEM GOVERNMENT .THIS NEW GOVERNMENT IS A COLATION INDIAN AND BLACKS WORKING TOGETHER .I GUESS YOU DONT LIKE THAT DO YOU VALESHA WELL TOO BAD. SO STOP CRYING THE PARTY IS OVER.
John, I am so sorry for you, as there is no cure for verbal diarrhea. It is incurable and is caused by the PooPyParty thought process
hello the EU need there tax payer money to found there own crisis there with the refugee that AMERICA inflicted on them as America is the one who started ISIS . the EU is the one who put the APNU/AFC government in Guyana and I know that god bless Guyana no matter how hard they cry or yell they will never get the oil. so them and the ABC countries is yell and balling on deft ears. the EU would fall In time as they are burdening their tax payer with refugee their countries will fall and I am sure that isis is already scatter all over Europe already thank to America so don’t stress mr.Jernej Videtič what goes around comes around . you may not have a EU left .
Valesha, I would strongly advice you not to call the current government “dummy”. If Guyana is your country, then wish the new government well rather than talking crap. The PPP party is the one that has a lot of uneducated persons in it. Come up with a better argument rather than this nonsense that you are talking.
Valesha, Gomanie, If you have nothing intelligent to write you shouldn’t. Re-read your incoherent statements and see if any educated and intelligent person would take you comments seriously.
The EU ambassador was right; they are accountable for how they spend their tax payers $$, something the system in Guyana knows little about and certainly what the last PPP administration does not understand. Ramotar, was not too bright anyway; that’s why he believes that the EU owns Guyana money, when they do not, they were trying to help a poor, depressed, non-progressive country function and pay its’ bills. IT WAS A FAVOR NOT A RESPONSIBILITY!
The EU to release $26 Billion dollars to the APNU+AFC which will used for the administration increase in salary, fraud and to promote crime and thieves! This is the ONLY thing the APNU has done so far since taking office. Crumble the economy, decrease the dollar value and increase crime rate! The EU and the USA took over Guyana and install this dummy PNC government to kill the Guyana economy, crumble the dollar value so they can suck oil money at a cheap price! Can someone name ONE good thing the APNU government has done for Guyana since taking office? We, the people of GUYANA did not seen any changes in place! We demand that these un-educated dummies be removed ASAP. Crime RATE is souring, tourism is dead and people and running for their lives!