The EU representative to the Dominican Republic, Martino Meloni, told the news media that after the country’s incorporation into the Lomé IV Convention, the European Union has become the chief source of development aid for the country, supplying about 80 percent of all bilateral assistance. He says that from 1990-1995, European Union development assistance totaled some US$100 million, and he anticipates an increase in the coming years to compensate for the effects of inflation. Most EU economic aid has been allocated to education, health, rural and small business development, and the conservation of natural resources.
In the past, the Dominican Republic had been a major recipient of aid from the United States. From 1984-1987, U.S. economic assistance averaged US$115 million per annum. From that time onwards, however, U.S. bilateral aid has been gradually diminishing.