What was achieved for VI from Brexit talks?
Well Premier Smith attended a meeting with other Overseas Territories (OT) Leaders, dubbed the UK-OT Joint Ministerial Council on European Negotiations (JMC OT EN) (February 6-7, 2017), to discuss the implications of Brexit on the OTs and their priorities for negotiations.
Government spin?
According to a government spokeswoman, April T. Glasgow, in a press release issued yesterday February 7, 2017 “priorities discussed with UK Ministers were: freedom of movement, international trade and EU funding.”
Ms Glasgow claimed that Premier Smith set out the VI’s priorities for international trade, including market access, stating, “The VI sees international trade as essential to its economic future, particularly in the continued provision of services to international business, but also in goods, in areas such as fisheries.”
According to Government, Dr Smith also highlighted the value of EU funding to the sustainable development of the VI, stating, “In the 11th EDF programming process, the EU has recognised to some degree, their responsibility to support VI and others that are among the most affected by the negative impacts of climate change that places our economy at risk.”
Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, Premier Smith said, “I am pleased by the outcome of our initial round of ministerial talks on Brexit negotiations in which we set out OT priorities and agreed in principle to hold two additional Ministerial meetings this year,” according to the state-owned Government Information Service (GIS).
The spokeswoman for GIS told the public that local “officials will be fully involved in the ongoing UK-OT technical discussions on Brexit with the UK Government in the months ahead.”
Still no answers on what was achieved for VI!
However, it remains unclear what substantive items were achieved by Dr Smith for the VI. When contacted today February 8, 2017 in London to asked what was accomplished, Virgin Islands’ Ambassador to the UK and the European Union E. Benito Wheatley only said the “discussions on Brexit were constructive,” but often nothing else.
When pressed to name some achievements, Mr Wheatley, the Director of the VI London Office, dodged the questions and simply said I am “currently in transit.”
Our newsroom will await the return of Premier Smith who is expected to be back in the Territory by Saturday February 11, 2017 according to travel arrangements obtained by our newsroom.
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16 Responses to “What was achieved for VI from Brexit talks?”
What fisheries exports?
Why do you think the EU will want to fund what is a v. rich per capita territory which amasses its wealth through tax avoidance? Why should it?
Get real
The BVI doesn’t even have flash freezing capacity, much less to say we going to to be exporting fish on a commercial scale to another country.
It's really silly to think that the VI will walk away with something at this stage and speaks very poorly of this paper to suggest as much.