Inauguration of the weather radar station on St. Peters Hill (see Thursday newspaper) is a good example of the kind of effective cross-border cooperation that two countries sharing an island could use more of. It also shows the possibilities of accessing European Union (EU) means to aid them in their development.
Their respective meteorological services being able to issue more accurate and coordinated alerts is obviously important certainly in the so-called hurricane belt. With tropical cyclones supposedly getting stronger and growing in number due to climate change, timely and precise forecasting has become increasingly essential to safeguard lives and property.
In this case the INTERREG Caribbean Programme provided 1,293,750 euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The government of St. Maarten and Collectivité of Saint-Martin contributed 575,000 and 431,250 euros, so close to half between them, according to the so-called “matching funds” principle.
Many don’t realise that – besides direct assistance out of the Netherlands and from the national government of France – the EU has given considerable support to the island over the years, particularly regarding infrastructure. For example, the European Investment Bank (EIB) offered US $50 million to help reconstruct the terminal of Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) scheduled to have its grand reopening on November 14.
The sad part is that available funding has often been at risk to due to lack of effective local decision-making and prompt action. The planned joint sewage plant for the greater Cole Bay area comes to mind.
This water purification facility is long overdue and highly necessary to prevent further land-based contamination of Simpson Bay Lagoon. It concerns a vital asset in terms of the tourism economy and its significant marine sector as well as ecological value.
After much haggling over location, a spot in Cay Bay near GEBE was chosen. However, since then little has been heard about the project.
All those involved must understand that this is anything but a luxury.
