1. EUROPEAN NGOs MEET TO DISCUSS THEIR APPROACH TO THE CLOSING STAGES OF THE ACP-EU NEGOTIATIONS AND BEYOND
A number of European NGOs, NGO networks (including Eurostep and the EU Liaison Committee) and national NGO platforms met for a seminar on 16-17 September to discuss how best to approach the closing stages of the ACP-EU Negotiations and the new Agreement that will result from the negotiations.
Among the items on the agenda were reports on the state of play following the ACP-EU Negotiations Ministerial Meeting in July from European Commission Representative - Ms. Françoise Moreau and ACP Deputy Secretary-General - Mr. Carl Greenidge. Ms Moreau in her presentation stated that the no new date had been set for the next ACP-EU Ministerial meeting, which was previously scheduled for 8-9 November. Though this date may now seem too early for any real progress to be made, given the disappointing results of the July Ministerial Meeting (see PAF 144), it has not yet been possible to find another date. Responding to a question on why the key sentences agreed for the next ACP-EU Agreement hardly refer to the issue of gender, she said that as the principles of the agreement express the wish to mainstream gender it is not necessary to make more reference to gender in the other key sentences. She added that gender mainstreaming was more a question of implementation rather continuos reference in the new agreement. She however said that beyond the key sentences prepared other parts of the new agreement would include more references to the issue of gender. Eurostep’s Gender Benchmark paper published in July offers recommendations on how to make the next ACP-EU agreement more gender aware.
Carl Greenidge in his statement said that if good governance became an essential element of the new agreement, as the EU wishes, it would be used as a device for non-transparent leverage against the ACP.
On the rationalisation/reduction of the financial instruments he said, while the EU has embraced the principle of differentiation in the treatment of the different ACP countries according to their specific needs and interests, it wants to reduce the number of instruments that allow for the catering for the different ACP needs and interests. He said doing away with the export earning stabilising instruments - STABEX and SYSMIN - would undermine investment in ACP countries. Mr Greenidge added that total aid to some ACP countries sometimes only amounted to half of their losses in export earnings that result from unforseen circumstances.
On improved civil society participation in the ACP-EU partnership, Mr Greenidge said this was only likely to work at the Brussels level where civil society would be invited to sessions of the ACP-EU Joint Assembly and Joint Council of Ministers to debate issues. Civil society participation at the national level would be more difficult because of the different situations in ACP countries.
The PAF will provide more information on the NGO seminar in its next edition.
2. ACP-EU NEGOTIATIONS
The schedule for the next rounds of the ACP-EU negotiations at ambassadorial is as follows:
| 23 September, Brussels | Economic and Trade Negotiating Group |
| 28 September, Brussels | Central Negotiating Group |
| 6 October, Brussels | Private
Sector and other Actors Negotiating Group Financial Co-operation Negotiating Group |
| 7 October, Brussels | Central
Negotiating Group Economic and Trade Negotiating Group |
| 26 October, Brussels | Central
Negotiating Group Economic and Trade Negotiating Group |
| 27 October, Brussels | Private
Sector and other Actors Negotiating Group Financial Co-operation Negotiating Group |
Representatives from the ACP and the EU have expressed concern about the slow pace of progress being made in the negotiations.
3. GERMANS CALL FOR MONEYS ENTITLED TO ACP TO BE USED FOR DEBT RELIEF
At the EU General Affairs Council, which met this week, the German Foreign Minister called upon the Commission to present a proposal for debt relief of the poorest countries by using the yet unused funds of previous European Development Fund (main budget for ACP-EU co-operation) amounting to one billion euro. This request aims at implementing paragraph 28 of the conclusions of the European summit in Cologne, which welcome the "common European position on debt relief for the poorest countries".
The ACP countries who are normally entitled to these funds have clearly stated that any money for debt relief should be additional and not take away from the funds that they are already entitled to. EU NGDOs meeting to discuss their approach to the ACP-EU negotiations expressed their support for the ACP’s view.
4. EU GENERAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL DECIDES ON FOUR MONTH EMBARGO ON ARMS AND SUSPENSION OF MILITARY CO-OPERATION WITH INDONESIA
The EU General Affairs Council, after a lengthy discussion, has agreed to place an embargo on the export of arms, ammunitions and military equipment; ban the supply of equipment which could be used for the internal repression or terrorism; and suspend bilateral military co-operation with Indonesia. However the Council failed to agree on the suspension of visas for Indonesian military officials and their families.
Ms Tarja Halonen, the President in Office of the Council stated that, in its actions, the Council hoped to send a very strong political message to the Indonesian Government. She also emphasised that the humanitarian side of the problem in East Timor has not been forgotten. The Council also calls on the Indonesian Government to allow the safe return of international humanitarian organisations to East Timor without delay. They should have secure access to displaced people, to allow them safe return to their homes.
The Council concludes its statement by stating that East Timor’s independence must proceed without delay as provided for in the Agreement of 5 May.
5. IN BRIEF
The majority of EU Member States now favour a tariff only system for the EU banana trade regime to ACP countries. The Commission has failed to find a solution on how to reform its banana regime with ACP countries almost a year after the condemnation of the regime by the WTO. According to EU Council sources the UK is now prepared to rally around the tariff-quota system. Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark have been in favour of the tariff only system from the outset. France and Spain and to a lesser extent, Portugal, Greece and Ireland remain opposed to this option. Most observers believe that a tariff only system would be harmful to the ACP’s Caribbean banana producers.
EU Trade Ministers will hold an extraordinary informal meeting with the new EU Trade Commissioner, Pascal Lamy, in Florence in order to prepare the European Community position for the forthcoming WTO trade conference in Seattle in November. The EU’s position for WTO Millennium trade round, will be defined by the General Affairs Council during its October and November sessions.
The EU’s new Common Foreign and Security
Policy High representative, Javier Solana will focus on boosting
the EU’s ability to deal with humanitarian crisis like in
East Timor when he takes office next month. Solana has underlined
his aim to focus on developing the EU’s capacity to use
military action for humanitarian aims. He also aims to bring more
coherence and co-ordination into EU foreign policy. According to
sources Solana’s effectiveness will be judged according to
the independence he can win from the EU’s foreign ministers.