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Brussels, Belgium – The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris made a powerful call for the European Unionn to reconcile the truth that a causal factor impacting on the growth and development of the Caribbean lay in the historical assymetrical relationship forged with Europe.

Prime Minister Harris, in retreat with fellow Heads of State/Government at the EU-CELAC Summit, stated that, « Mr. Chairman, these new evolving times call for a new order and a new thinking.  The same orthodoxy, the same system and the same mindset that fostered and promoted, for example, a mercantilist relationship between Europe and its colonies that profoundly limited our scope and scale of production, that impacted on our productivity and education cannot now serve us well. »

Prime Minister Harris went out to emphasize that a reconciliation of these truths must unleash a new partnership, new philosophy and more efficacious modes of cooperation and diplomacy.  We should experience a higher level of commitment from the EU to provide overseas development assistance at the prescribed levels of 0.7 per cent of the gross national income of OECD donor countries.

In referencing Chancellor Angela Merkel`s intervention in the retreat, PM Harris welcomed the news out of the the G7 meeting in relation to the commitment of that group of industrialised countries – in which several EU Member States feature –  to significantly reduce global carbon emmissions.  In this regard, the Prime Minister underlined that «reconciling truth calls for substance to be given to the concept of special and differential treatment, particularly in the case of Small Island States in the context of climate financing where.

In furthering his call for reconciling truth, Prime Minister Harris launched a clarion call for working in partnership with the EU to champion healthcare for all, because « in a shrinking global space with trans boundary diseases, we must all be able to respond to epidemics and pandemics. The G7 also listed  global public health policy as a priority.

In concluding his remarks, Prime Minister highlighted that « reconciling the truth of our historical relationship calls for a fuller discussion of the matter of reparations »