The United Kingdom and the European Union will have new relationships by the middle of this year, which would govern how they interact with the VI. Map: British Virgin Islands. com

Director of BVI London Office, Mr. Kedrick Malone. Photo: VINO

“The United Kingdom and the European Union will have new relationships by the middle of this year, which would govern how they interact with the BVI. So the London Office being in London and being close to the UK and spending regular time in Brussels would be working very closely with the Premier’s Office and other departments to make sure those new partnerships bear fruit on behalf of the Territory," said Director of the BVI London Office Kedrick Malone at a press briefing yesterday February 28, 2012 at Central Administrative Complex.

“In the European Union when you look at the joint position signed by the Government last year and the emerging issues in the new Agreement that is going to be published in July, environmental issues play a huge part in that and that was not part of the previous agreement which was in 2001. Between 2001 and 2010 the environment has taken on a huge role over the internationals agreements and conventions. So our main concern is that we see what is going on in the EU, particularly with environment and trade, that the territory is prepared and that we have the capacity to capitalise on the opportunities and that we have the capacity to minimise threats that are brought on by these changes.”

According to Malone, the capacity building initiative that the Premier signed in November in London was critical and that it also helps that the United Kingdom has mandated all of its departments to engage the Territory to see how they can help.

He noted too that that when the Premier was in London in November he had met a number of UK Ministers who have access to technical expertise that they can share with the Territory.

“So when you are a small economy and you have the same obligations as the big countries it is hard to have the capacity to do that...there are so many large issues that the major concern is that we get the capacity internally preferably to deal with these issues and certainly the London Office being in the UK and in Brussels and having access to the international organisations and the UK and European Commission can help to bring some of those resources to the Territory to help the various departments and ministries with their work programme,” Malone said.