1. ACP-EU
JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY ABUJA NIGERIA 20-23 MARCH 2000
(continued)
The Joint Assembly adopted several resolutions on the following topics:
Cuba: A joint resolution called for opening negotiations with Cuba in view of its accession to the new convention. It hopes that Cuba will be able to sign this Agreement during the next ACP/EU Ministerial meeting in Fiji.
WTO derogation: The resolution presented by the ACP group, calls to the whole international community for it to support the EU’s call to obtain from the WTO a derogation enabling it to continue offering preferential treatment to the products originating in APC and EU countries without offering the same conditions to products from other WTO countries.
Altering of CMO for bananas and protection of ACP cocoa and rum: The Assembly strongly disputed the current proposal to reform the Common Market Organisation (CMO) for bananas, which, it said, goes well beyond the aspects that the WTO had asked to change, and therefore rejected (1) the automatic transition to the “tariff only” system, which would have as consequence an end to Community banana production as well as affecting many ACP States, (2) the “auction” system proposed by the Commission to issue import licences for C quotas. It calls on the Commission to maintain a tariff quota system and is in favour of a transition phase of at least ten years to enable Community and ACP producers to adapt to the new system.
On cocoa the Assembly stressed that the introduction of vegetable fat matters in chocolate will destabilise the economies of cocoa producing countries; the Commission has thus to do all it can to cover the losses.
Disasters in Mozambique and Madagascar:
Apart from calling on sufficient aid to respond to the needs of
these two countries, the Assembly also called for a total
cancellation of their bilateral and Community debts.
Review of situation in various countries:
In the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia the Assembly supports the OAU peace plan and the mediation efforts carried out by the OAU President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the EU’s special envoy Rino Serri.
Angola: Apart from calling on the UN and the EU to continue to exert strong pressure on the Unita leaders, notably through the application and intensification of sanctions, the Assembly called for an improvement in the monitoring and implementation of sanctions against the smuggling of diamond controlled by Unita.
Somalia: The Assembly expressed its full support for the peace plan proposed by the President of Djibouti. It invites the head of all Somalian factions to co-operate in the efforts and calls on the EU to begin the aid and reconstruction programmes. The Assembly, furthermore, invites the APC-EU Council to put forward legal instruments enabling Somalia to benefit from the 7th and 8th EDF, despite the absence of national authorities able to ratify the 4th Lomé Convention.
Great Lakes Region: In deploring the delays in applying the Lusaka agreement and condemning the human rights violations, summary executions, acts of torture, rape, ethnic propaganda and the enlisting of children in the armed forces, the Assembly invites all the parties in the conflict to immediately proceed with the implementation of the Lusaka agreement and calls on the UN Security Council to authorise, without delay, the initial deployment of 5.500 UN soldiers to monitor the implementation of the agreement. It furthermore calls for the withdrawal of all foreign armed forces on the DRC territory.
Haiti: The Assembly regretted that the organisation of elections was once more postponed, but hoped for the entry into office of the new Parliament on the second Monday in June. It reminded the Haitian government that in the absence of a Parliament, the fund made available to the country, more than EUR 500 million, would not be freed.
2. EU-AFRICA SUMMIT
Africa-Europe Civil Society Forum
obliged to move from Cairo to Lisbon.
In a press release of 30th March from the Liaison Committee of Development NGOs to the EU the NGOs strongly regrets the negative pressures exerted by some African governments, which have forced the organisers of the Africa-Europe Civil Society Forum to abandon holding their meeting in Cairo few days before the Official Summit. More than hundred participants coming from the two continents will gather in Lisbon the 31/3 and 1/4 for the final stage of meetings at grass-root level having taken place in Algiers, Praia and Johannesburg. The delegates from Africa and Europe have brought together contribution on themes such as: * co-development and partnership for social welfare and citizenship; * creation of a stable and democratic environment and promotion of citizenship, national and international transparency; *promotion of a culture of peace, democracy and solidarity; * strengthening of national and regional capacities for welfare and citizenship.
Also at a meeting in the European Parliament on 28 March, set up by CIDSE and hosted by Max van den Berg, strong indignation was expressed by the MEPs and the NGOs present, and MEP Mr. Martinez assured that the EP would not cease in calling for an explanation of why the Civil Society Forum had had to be transferred to Lisbon. At the meeting CIDSE presented its position paper called: Towards True Partnership: EU-Africa Summit. Participants in the meeting were asked to comment on the paper.
The official part of the Summit is expecting to host 67 heads of state, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Commission President Prodi, OAU Secretary-General Salem Ahmed Salem as well as the three Commissioners for external relations, Patten, Nielson and Lamy. Sunday 2nd, Foreign Ministers will meet to make final preparations for the Summit and a plan of action. The 3rd will be dedicated to social and economic issues, such as boosting regional integration and opening up African markets to free trade. Political issues, with the EU side emphasising human rights, conflict prevention, migration and good governance, will dominate the last day
The African side, however, would like to place more emphasis on development and socio-economic issues and on follow up wants similar treatment to Asian countries, which holds summits with the Union every three years and arrange regular ministerial meetings. Both sides agrees to a further meeting, but disagrees over what structures should be set up to continue the dialogue.
The European Commission says that the number one aim of the Summit is to raise international awareness of Africa’s importance and potential, but African countries and development groups remain suspicious of the Union’s motives in becoming more closely embroiled in the continent’s problems. In an interview in European Voice, Simon Stocker, Director of Eurostep, says that African states are quite rightly wary of assuming that signing up to free trade will automatically lead to greater wealth for their people and accuses Union governments of double standards in their trade relations with some of the world’s poorest countries. “The EU continues to cling on to protectionist policies in the agriculture field, which is one of the main areas where Africans have a comparative advantage”, he argues.
The success or failure of the Summit will, however, largely depend on the strength of the action plan being drawn up by the two sides’ officials.
3. IN BRIEF
A Eurostep briefing paper on “The EU-South Africa Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement. Analysis of the Negotiating Process, the Agreement and the Economic Impact”, is available at the Eurostep web site cited below. Massimo Diomedi Camassei has written this paper on behalf of Eurostep as a contribution to an understanding of increased liberalisation of global trade.
The Eurostep secretariat had a visitor from India Mr. Aloysius Irudayam from Dalit Human Rights, who come together with a representative from the member organisation NCOS to explain and seek support of Eurostep for advocacy and lobbying in the international fora, especially in view of the UN conference on Race scheduled for September 2001 and the PrepCom Meet in May 2000. Further information can be obtained from the Secretariat.
Corrigendum. The Eurostep
Secretariat would like to apologize to Terra Viva Europe and IPS
for not having credited them for part of the article point 3 on
bananas in PAF no. 172.