Senators from Elias Pina and Pedernales complained that funds from the European Community that have been channelled through the Cotonou Accords do not reach the frontier provinces for which they were destined. Instead, say the senators, the monies go to more developed provinces like La Romana and Santiago. The legislators did say that they appreciated the good intentions of Onofre Rojas, the new head of the National Office for European Development Funds (ONFED). According to the two, while it is all well and good that the ONFED handles the funds, there should be more action and less bureaucracy involved. The spokesmen from the frontier provinces, considered among the poorest regions of the Dominican Republic, said that they have long been hearing how these funds would be used to assist their provinces, but all they receive are the “crumbs,” as all the money is spent on trips and consulting and the deeds done are very few. The two senators even said that the ONFED personnel tell lies to the people in Europe and are mostly “drones” who do little of anything. Talking over lunch at the Corripio Communications Group, the senators told reporters that there was as much as 40 million euros available at a rate of just 7% interest, with a grace period of up to two years, and that these funds could potentially be used for mining, forestry or tourism. Senator Dagoberto Rodriguez from Independincia province allowed that micro-improvements had been made in the poorest areas of his province.
The frontier region is composed of the provinces of Pedernales, Independencia, Elias Pina, Bahorouco, Valverde, Santiago Rodriguez, Montecristi, and Dajabon. In 1975, the European Union decided to direct funds to a group of African, Pacific and Caribbean nations (ACP) through the Lome Convention. These funds were handled in the Dominican Republic by the National Office for Lome IV. Later on, this funding became part of the Cotonou Accords.