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Ambassador of the Netherlands to St. John’s, Cornelis Hersback and Prime Minister Gaston Browne
The new Netherlands Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda, Cornelis Hersback, and senior government officials took the opportunity to discuss several crucial matters that are vital to the relationship between the Caribbean nation and the European Union.
The Ambassador of the Netherlands to St. John’s, Cornelis Hersback, presented his credentials to both Prime Minister Gaston Browne and the Foreign Affairs Minister, E.P Chet Greene, during separate engagements in St. John’s on Tuesday.
During their meetings with the Ambassador, both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister wasted no time in raising the issue of blacklisting.
This was in response to the recent EU publication that listed Antigua and Barbuda as one of twelve countries that were deemed “non-cooperative” in tax compliance.
In fact, the meeting between Minister Greene and the Ambassador was held at the parliament building where he emphasized that one of the main reasons for the meeting of the House of Representatives was to adopt legislation to meet the EU’s requirements.
PM Browne also pointed out that the Antigua and Barbuda economy was minuscule when compared to larger economies in Europe and North America.
The discussions were held in a constructive and productive manner, with both sides acknowledging the importance of collaboration and mutual understanding.
“We observe they only pick on small countries, while most money laundering takes place in Europe and North America. We need to have a more collaborative approach to share information as the blacklisting undermines our development,” he explained.
Netherlands Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda, Cornelis Hersback and Foriegn Affairs Minister E.P Chet Greene
During his meeting with the foreign minister, two hours later, Minister Greene revisited the topic of blacklisting and emphasized that it discourages investment.
He mentioned that instead of attracting investors, blacklisting drives them away, especially when the country is still recovering from the economic setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ambassador was informed of this perspective.
Regarding the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP), Prime Minister Browne urged the ambassador to highlight the importance of such programmes to the economies of Antigua and Barbuda and the other OECS states where they are in operation.
The recent assessment of the CIP programmes has led to the EU threatening to discontinue its visa-free regime.
The prime minister believes that the assessment was punitive and that these programmes contribute up to 60 percent of non-tax revenue.
He suggested that the EU should collaborate and cooperate with Antigua and Barbuda on this matter.
He also requested the ambassador to communicate these concerns to his capital, emphasizing that Antigua and Barbuda, like other countries, aims to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
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