Governor of the Cayman Islands, Stuart Jack, presents a Coat of Arms plaque to Ambassador Gerd Jarchow

"Being a part of the European Union presents Cayman with the opportunity to participate with the region including other overseas countries and territories in the areas of economics and trade," said Ambassador Jarchow.

He met with Governor Stuart Jack; Leader of Government Business, Kurt Tibbetts; Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson as well as trustees and staff with the National Recovery Fund (NRF).

He visited a number of homes still in need of repair since Hurricane Ivan, and also viewed a few that had been reconstructed.

As one of the Commission’s goals, Ambassador Jarchow said he has concentrated on “integrating Caribbean countries into economic agreements with CARICOM, in hope of participating in regional cooperation to bring the countries closer together.”

During the visit, Ambassador Jarchow also mentioned that although the Cayman Islands, because of its high per-capita income, does not participate in the European Development Fund programme for Caribbean countries, they are involved in the emergency aid aspect of the Commission.

Ambassador Jarchow will retire at the end of the year, after 36 years of service to the European Commission. During his career, he has been economic advisor to the delegation of Congo, and headed delegations in the Pacific and Mauritius. He was posted to Jamaica in 2001.

During his time in the region, he has worked to ensure that "the development aid granted to Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands is channeled into the areas where the most impact can be made, to the benefit of citizens," he said.

In charge of the European Commission Delegation in Jamaica, which monitors official agreements, financial contracts and technical aid among African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries as well as Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), Ambassador Jarchow has led the delegation since 2001, with responsibility for Belize, Turks and Caicos, the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas and Jamaica.