Antigua PM Browne questions EU blacklisting of Caribbean countries

Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne is the latest to express concern about the blacklisting of Caribbean countries, especially Dominica.

Dominica was included in a new list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions by the European Union. EU has said that the inclusion of Dominica was based on “an intense process of analysis and dialogue steered by the Commission”.

“Dominica in its present circumstances, having been struck by two hurricanes, trying to recover and the EU is targeting poor Dominica,” Browne said on his radio station Point F.M. Browne said that Caribbean governments must stand up to the EU.

“Is Dominica a threat to the European Union? Does anybody have money stashed away in Dominica? ” Browne questioned, adding, “We have to come together as a region and fight these people. They know where all the money is but they want to use a broad brush to paint everybody.”

15 countries including several Caribbean countries namely, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Dominica and Aruba were black listed.

The Dominica government said the island was put on the grey list in December 2017 notwithstanding the complete devastation caused by Hurricane Maria when it slammed into the country as a Category Five storm.