From Caribbean News Now

CASTRIES, St Lucia — Ambassador Mikael Barfod, head of the delegation of the European Union to the Eastern Caribbean Countries, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) met with Dr Kenny Anthony, prime minister of Saint Lucia, on Tuesday.

During the meeting, a financing agreement between the European Commission and Saint Lucia was signed. The agreement is valued at €6,175,000 and will be utilized to finance the Saint Lucia Post Trough Emergency Infrastructure Rehabilitation Programme. These resources were made available from the Emergency B envelope of European Commission grant resources following the passage of the trough in December 2013.

The overall objective of the programme of rehabilitation is to contribute to the enhancement of the quality of life of residents of Saint Lucia by improving the delivery of transport services. The programme will include the construction of a new bridge in Piaye and reconstruction of the Venus-Anse La Raye Road utilizing a “build back better” approach. This should result in enhanced resilience to extreme weather events, improved delivery of transport along the south west coast, and more secure access to the John Compton Dam, the main source of drinking water in Saint Lucia.

The programme will be managed indirectly by the World Bank, and will be implemented through the ongoing Disaster Vulnerability Risk Reduction programme (DVRP). The DVRP, valued at US$68 million, is a World Bank financed Project using a blend of loan and grant resources aimed at reducing disaster risk, enhancing resilience and improving adaptation to climate induced risks.

For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-St-Lucia-signs-six-million-euro-agreement-with-European-Commission-30219.html

IMAGE: twitter.com Mikael Barfod