Caribbean delegation to hold briefings in Brussels, London

24/6/2025 6:09

A Caribbean delegation is

set to travel to Brussels and London next month to bring the

highly divisive issue of reparations for slavery and colonialism

to the table, organisers have told Reuters.



At least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly

transported by European ships and sold into slavery from the

15th to the 19th centuries.



Calls for reparations are longstanding but have been gaining

momentum, particularly among the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

and the African Union (AU).



Backlash against it has also been growing, and many of

Europe's leaders have opposed even talking about reparations.



Organised by the Repair Campaign, a group advocating for

reparations in the Caribbean, the trip will start in Brussels on

July 1, where the delegation will host a briefing with European

Union (EU) lawmakers.



In 2023, the EU said Europe inflicted "untold suffering" on

millions of people but even though some member states have

acknowledged past wrongs, no country has agreed to reparations.



The delegation will then travel to London, where they will

hold a briefing in parliament on July 2.



The delegation's aim is to "open a dialogue" with European

and British representatives about their countries' roles in

advancing reparations, according to organisers.



The delegation includes Caribbean academics and policy

experts, as well as members of national reparations committees

established by CARICOM member states and backed by their

respective governments.



CARICOM has a reparations plan, which, among other demands,

calls for technology transfers and investments to tackle health

crises and illiteracy. The AU is developing its own plan.



Opponents of reparations argue that contemporary states and

institutions should not be held responsible for their past. But

advocates say action is needed to address the legacies, such as

racism.



Britain, which transported an estimated 3.2 million people,

the most active European country after Portugal, has also

rejected calls for reparations.