EUROPEAN Union Commissioner for International Relations Jozef Sikela has confirmed there are accountability measures in place to prevent potential misuse of financial allocations in recent agreements signed between Pacific Island countries and the EU.
Responding to a question at a press conference after the EU-Pacific Business Forum in Nadi early this month, Mr Sikela said there must be clear understanding and also partial control of how the funds would be used.
“Because we also bear our responsibility towards the European taxpayers where basically the money or grants are coming from and, of course, also financial institutions involved, like the EIB (European Investment Bank). They also have their duties when it comes to control,” he said.
“So, of course, there are measures to basically control, that there will not be misuse and that, basically, the purpose of the money will be used in the agreed way.”
Mr Sikela also addressed concerns regarding certain countries facing difficulties in pitching to the EU the exact funding they may need.
“I have a good feeling that basically the projects are impacting not only the bigger and more developed islands, but across the region.
“So, we really want to support on one side also the less developed islands. On the other side, we also want to have a strong involvement in the small and medium businesses in the agenda, because they are major employers and we also value creators not only here, but also on our side in the European Union.”
Mr Sikela said measuring the success of recent agreements signed with other Pacific Island countries at the EU Pacific business forum was also a key role for the EU.
“We have to because we also have our duties, not only to European households and businesses, but also to the European Parliament.
“So, we have a clear criteria and also impact measurements in order to understand if the money is invested in the way it was aimed, mainly for sustainable and environment-friendly projects, to reduce the CO2 and to keep the 2050 targets.”
—
Note: This article was first published under the headline: Measures in place to prevent misuse in Page14 of the print version of The Fiji Times dated Wednesday September 24, 2025
