1. EUROSTEP REPROACH COMMISSION FOR FAILING TO DELIVER COHERENCE REPORT TO EU DEVELOPMMENT COUNCIL
Eurostep have sent letters to the EU Development Ministers, the acting EU Commissioner for Development - Mr Joao de Deus Pinheiro and Mr Philip Lowe - Director General of the Commission’s Development Directorate (DG VIII), condemning the Commission’s failure to deliver its report on the coherence of EU policies with EU development goals to the EU Development Council held on 21 May.
The EU Development Council in a Resolution on Coherence in June 1997 agreed on a number of priority themes and procedural arrangements to address incoherence in EU policies. One of the key arrangements was to ask the Commission to regularly prepare, "preferably on an annual basis", a coherence report as a basis for discussion and action by the Development Council. In the two years following the adoption of the resolution, the Commission has failed to deliver the report to the Development Council and little has been done to start its implementation of the resolution at the political level. While it had been reported that the Commission had been working on a report for several months leading up the Development Council meeting, it now seems the Commission will only deliver a ‘non-paper’ on coherence.
Eurostep have prepared a position paper with specific cases studies illustrating the ways in which the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy CAP undermines the stated goals of EU Development policy and agriculture in developing countries. The issue of the incoherence of the CAP is particularly important given that, in the coming months the EU will decide on a mandate for the 3rd WTO Ministerial Meeting in Seattle (30 November - 3 December), including renewed negotiations on agriculture, possibly as part of a special Millennium Round.
The letters to the EU officials and the Eurostep position paper call for: 1) the Commission to present a full coherence report before August 1999. This report should in particular address the coherence issues relating to CAP-reform and the forthcoming WTO-negotiations. The Commission should also elaborate on their proposals for a structural approach to incoherence of EU policies. 2) A special Development Council meeting and/or a joint Council meeting of Development and Agriculture in September to discuss the Commission’s coherence report and decide on further action.
For copies of Eurostep’s position paper on the issue and more information you can contact the Eurostep secretariat or Eurostep’s member - Novib (who developed the paper) at Tel: 00 31 70 342 16 21; Fax: 00 31 70 362 44 61; email: [email protected]
2. COMMISSION PRESENTS PROPOSALS ON STRATEGY FOR SUSPENSION OF AID TO ACP STATES INVOLVED IN ARMED CONFLICT
A Commission Communication on co-operation with ACP countries involved in conflicts, is to be presented to the Development Council on 21 May. The stated priority aim is to prevent EU funds from being deviated for war purposes, which undermine human and economic development, solidarity between ACP states and political economic and security interests in Europe.
The communication aims to open the debate between EU Member States on the issue. According to the Commission under the Lomé Convention, a freeze, reduction or suspension of aid may be decided in reaction to the outbreak of hostilities in three different scenarios: a) If EU funds are effectively deflected or likely to be used for military purposes. b) If the Article 366b of the Convention is invoked by one party in the event of the other party violating one of the essential elements (human rights, democratic principles, rule of law) of the Lomé Convention. c) If economic sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council are transposed into European Community legislation. The Commission is recommending that these measures be implemented in an impartial and proportional manner with administrative flexibility. The implementation of these measures should also take into account their political and social after-effects, security risks and the respective responsibilities of all the actors involved.
3. EURO AID 99’ - IS EUROPEAN AID SIMLPY A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY?
The Brussels Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Euro Info Centre and the SGD are organising a conference and exhibition billed as EUROAID 99’ on 16-17 June in Brussels. In the advertisement for the conference in the European press, it is announced that the Commission and the European Investment Bank spend € 10 billion annually on projects in developing countries. According to the advert, EUROAID 99 offers participants the opportunity to get their maximum share of this large consistent market. It goes on to say, "Whatever happens to world markets during financial crisis, the EC expenditure budget for aid for development remains a steady business development potential bidding for projects."
Among the topics on the agenda for the conference are: the status of current EU aid for development programmes, European Commission and NGO procurement, rural development, and private sector development and services. The speakers at the conference consist of representatives from the Commission and the private sector and just one NGO representative. Conference rates for the two days are advertised as 25 000 Belgian Franks or € 619.73. For more information you can contact Stefano Missir de Lusignan from the Brussels Chamber of Commerce and Industry at: Tel: 00 32 2 648 50 02; Fax: 00 32 2 640 93 28; Email: [email protected]
4. ACP-EU NEGOTIATIONS
Out of the four ACP-EU Negotiating Groups only the Central Negotiating Group (CNG) met during the latest ACP-EU round of negotiations, for a new framework agreement, that were scheduled for 18-19 May. According to a source the CNG, which deals with political and institutional issues, discussed separate proposals from the ACP and the EU on key sentences for the new framework agreement on the institutional framework of their partnership, the non-execution clause and political dialogue. The group also decided that a preparatory meeting for the upcoming ACP-EU Ministerial Negotiating meeting (28-30 July), in addition to the scheduled rounds of negotiations in June and July, should also take place in July. The CNG is scheduled to discuss the issue of the inclusion of ‘good governance’ as an essential element of the new framework agreement at the June round of the ambassadorial negotiations. Both parties are yet to agree to a common definition of ‘good governance’. The working groups on trade and finance have not begun to discuss on key sentences for the new agreement.
5. IN BRIEF
At the EU Council for Justice and Home Affairs the Dutch Government called on EU Member States to act swiftly to harmonise national policies on the reception of refugees from Kosovo. The Dutch proposal lays down a number of conditions for the reception of Kosovo refugees including guarantees that EU Member States will not force evacuees back and that basic rights are offered to the refugees across the EU.
A deal has been struck in the rift between ASEAN countries and the EU over the participation of Burma in the joint EU-ASEAN meeting. The EU had opposed Burma’s participation in the meeting although Burma is a member of ASEAN. Now it has been agreed that Burma, along with fellow new ASEAN members Cambodia and Laos, may attend the meeting. However Burmese officials will not be permitted to speak or fly the Burmese flag.
At this week’s EU Agriculture Council the EU Commissioner for Agriculture was unable to say whether Commission would come up with a definite proposal to bring the EU’s banana import regime with the ACP in line with WTO rules by the end of this month as EU Foreign Ministers have requested.
In the 5th round of negotiations for
a free trade area between the EU and Mexico, Mexico has
proposed totally opening up its market to EU industrial products
by 2007. Almost 47% of industrial trade will be liberalised
immediately. In the agricultural sector Mexico is no longer
asking for compensation to open up its market to subsidised EU
products. They do however want milk, cereals and meat to be
excluded from the free trade area.