On December 6, 2018, the Ministry of Economic Development of Curaçao organized a national conference titled “Curaçao, Reshaping Development Cooperation”. The conference was opened by Ms. Vanessa Toré, Director of Foreign Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Economic Development. The Minister of Economic Developments, Dr. Steven Martina, opened the conference, and alongside Vanessa symbolically opened the “EU-Desk Curaçao”,  EU Information & Support Desk to facilitate the access to information, the cooperation and subsidy opportunities from the EU for Curaçao.

Ms. Carol Voges, President of the Executive Committee of Overseas Countries and Territories Association (“OCTA”) discussed the role of OCTA in the EU programs. Mireille van der Graaf, Director of Sector Innovation, and Research Applications at Welcome Europe, discussed what is available for Curaçao in regards to the several EU programmes. She also discussed the possibilities for entrepreneurs to effectively obtain funds. Mrs. Sylvie Millot, Head of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) at the European Commission, provided an introduction into the European Commission and the OCTs, their institution and how it works.

Mrs. Taiana Mora is the Regional expert on SME Development at NEX Consulting based on the Dominican Republic and Curaçao Representative at the Dominican Republic collaborating with CINEX and the Ministry of Economic Development. She discussed the regional funding mechanism. Up next, Mrs. Mireille van der Graaf provided insights into the preparation of EU-Calls for proposals. Followed by Ms.Vanessa Toré who explained the setup and functioning of the EU Desk Curaçao.

Rector Magnificus of the University of Curacao (“UoC”), Dr. Francis de Lanoy, shared the best practices at the UoC regarding the participation in the EU student exchange program “Erasmus”. Mrs. Monique Raphaela, Director of the Curaçao Innovation and Technology Institute, provided insights into the “do’s and don’t” when preparing a submission of a EU-Call for proposal. Mrs. Mireille van der Graaf provided insights into the calls for 2019 for the sectors Sustainable Energy, Entrepreneurship, Education/Science, and Regional Cooperation. The event was closed by Ms. Vanessa Toré.

The conference provided insights into the possibilities for Curaçao to participate in the EU-Programmes. Adequate preparations are required in order to properly engage with the EU in order to obtain funding for local projects aligned with the objectives of the EU. The EU-Desk Curaçao will serve as the center of information and guidance. For more information contact the EU-Desk at the Ministry of Economic Development:

• email address: eudeskcuracao@gobiernu.cw
• Phone: +599 (9) 4621444-extension 181
• Contact persons: Mrs. Shereeta Ramcharan/Mr. R. Cardose.