Saint Kitts and Nevis

This Country Strategy Paper (CSP) presents the framework which will govern EU cooperation with Saint Kitts and Nevis for the period 2008-2013.

For the 10th EDF it is proposed to allocate 85% of the A Envelope to Public Safety and Security as the single focal sector in view of improving general governance conditions, with special attention to capacity building, training, and provision of scholarship programmes for police and other security staff. The intervention is aimed at modernising services to ensure safety and security, by developing human resources, building capacities and improving infrastructure. This focal sector is to be seen as a response to rising criminality rates which are considered by the Government as one of the main challenges for the society and the development of the country's main economic sectors like tourism and have therefore to be dealt with in a parallel way to other programmes, which are financed by the much more important amounts corresponding to the Accompanying Measures for Sugar Protocol countries (AMSP) affected by the reform of the EU sugar regime. These funds are aimed at economic and social objectives like human resources development, the diversification of the national economy, and support to former sugar workers who have lost their jobs in the now closed sugar industry.

Growth in Saint Kitts and Nevis in the coming years will be tied particularly to its competitiveness in the regional and global economy. Realising growth and improve global competitiveness requires, among other things, continuing improving of the educational outcomes, productivity and skills of its population, but also of its security situation.

Non-focal programmes will be used particularly for a Technical Cooperation Facility aiming at the support to Non-State Actors and Trade-Related Technical Assistance (10%), as well as for Technical Assistance to the NAO office (5%).

The indicative programme