Impact Study: UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals

Another key observation is that although there was a general understanding of the EPA by TPOs and the BSOs, there were no targeted programmes or activities aimed at tapping into specific sectors of the EU market. The main challenges are structural and require a collective response. At the industry level, new initiatives and approaches offering a range of trade facilitation and financing services have emerged that are promising for further EPA implementation. In the following sections, the study examines the role of three organizations, providing anecdotal evidence of EPA implementation and a model for future initiatives. The Caribbean Export Development Agency The Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA) has had a leading role in channelling the European Development Fund (EDF)’s resources for exporting and for export-ready CARIFORUM firms - through the CEDA’s flagship programme, the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme (DAGS) 45 . Based on an assessment of DAGS beneficiaries from the 10th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP), it is estimated that 118 firms (42% of recipients) generated US$4.9 million in additional exports and created 138 new jobs. The RPSDP focuses on ‘new’ sectors that have a clear Caribbean brand and a comparative advantage. The share of funds allocated to the creative industries is estimated at 5% out of a total of nine sectors awarded DAGS funding. More established sectors like agro-processing (31%), manufacturing (30%) and professional services (16%) attracted larger shares of the funding. The amount allocated to the creative industries was equivalent to that provided to specialized tourism, ICTs, and business support organizations andmore than double that of renewable energy and health and wellness. The countries with the highest share for the creative industries were Saint Lucia, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Haiti and Jamaica.

62 Culture in the CARIFORUM-EU EPA

45. The DAGS offers two facilities of funding. The Regular Procedures facility provides grants up to of €30,000, and for the Accelerated Procedures the maximum grant that can be awarded is €5,000. Further, no grant reimbursement may exceed 70% of the project’s total cost.