Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD) polymer notes

Financial Aid Talks on Montserrat’s 20/21 Budget Begin January 13

The Government of Montserrat and the United Kingdom Government, through the Department for International Development (DFID) will begin discussions on the 2020-2021 budget for Montserrat on Monday January 13, as the annual Financial Aid Mission (FAM) convenes here.

The annual mission allows for an agreement to be made on the budget allocation, and for key discussions on the Government of Montserrat’s strategic plans, progress being made on priority areas and a review of the 2019/2020 budget, including issues raised during the previous year. Some of the priority areas which will be discussed in this year’s FAM include the £30 million five-year Capital Investment Programme for Resilient Economic Growth (CIPREG) approved for 2018 to 2023; Access and Revenue Streams.

Montserrat’s Premier and Minister of Finance Easton Taylor-Farrell and the Deputy Governor Lyndell Simpson will open the discussions on behalf of the Government of Montserrat; supported by Montserrat’s core team which include the Financial Secretary Colin Owen and other senior Government of Montserrat officials.

The FAM will open on Monday January 13, 2020 with an opening ceremony at the Montserrat Cultural Centre starting at 9:00a.m. The ceremony will be chaired by the Financial Secretary Colin Owen and will include remarks by Governor Andrew Pearce, Premier Taylor-Farrell and DFID’s Economic Adviser Laurin Janes.

The FAM will conclude on Friday January 17, 2020.