1. LIAISON
COMMITTEE OF EU NGDOS CONFERENCE ON THE EU FUTURE DEVELOPMENT
CO-OPERATION
The Liaison Committee of Non-Governmental Development
Organisations to the EU (CLONG) organised a Conference titled
“The Future of EU Development Co-operation – The NGO
Contribution to the Debate” on 13 April in Brussels as a
precursor to the CLONG 26th General Assembly on 14-15
April in Brussels. The aims of the Conference were: 1) To analyse
the process of the EC’s review of aid, including the
European Commission’s Discussion paper on the EC Development
Policy. 2) To promote NGOs positions on the review of aid and the
Commission discussion paper as well as examine the possibility of
the drafting of an NGO paper on the issue. 3) To propose
mechanisms for NGOs on the follow up process of the review of aid
after the Conference.
During the opening plenary session, several NGO representatives
made the following comments on the abovementioned Commission
paper: 1) The consultation period (10 days) in which the
Commission asked for civil society actors to react to its paper
was totally inappropriate. This short period did not allow EU
civil society to engage in a serious discussion and reflection on
the paper. No attempts were made to consult with Southern civil
society organisations. This contradicts the rhetoric from the
Commission of its wish to better consult with civil society.
Moreover the EU Council had called for the Commission to engage
in the widest consultation possible in preparing the paper.
2) The paper does not propose any precise strategies or actions
required to address some of the fundamental questions that have
been raised concerning EC aid. 3) The paper’s emphasis on
poverty eradication is weak. 4) The priority areas that the paper
proposes that EC co-operation focus on, i.e. Trade and
development, regional integration, macroeconomic policies, social
sectors, transport and food security is not based on any detailed
analysis.
Representatives
from EU Member States during a round table discussion echoed many
of the sentiments of the NGOs. Mr Frank Black of the UK
government described the Commission’s paper as having too
many gaps, contradictions and ambiguities. He said development
co-operation and poverty eradication are subjugated below so
called political priorities of the EU, however poverty
eradication itself is a political priority of the EU. He also
noted the lack of emphasis in the paper on the international
development targets agreed to by the EU Member States, among
others.
Ms Quina from the
Portuguese Permanent Representation to the EU, representing the
Presidency of the EU, informed the meeting that EU Member States
would only begin discussing the Commission paper officially on
Monday 17 April. Due to the flawed process of consultation,
she hinted that the May 18 EU Development Council may not adopt a
resolution on the Commission’s paper as had been expected.
This may only now happen in November. She called on NGOs to
present concrete proposals on the review of EC aid to the EU
Member States.
Following the
convening of working groups dealing with specific aspects of the
review of aid, the following suggestions/conclusions were put
forward at the meeting: 1) A CLONG resolution being prepared on
the EC Development policy will be sent to EU Member States as an
NGO comment on the process and content of the EC review of aid.
2) CLONG will prepare a short briefing paper for NGDOs on the
process and the issues on the review of aid before the May 18
Development Council. 3) EU NGDOs will engage in consultation
with their partners in the South over the next 6 months through
both structured and informal dialogue on the process and content
of the review of aid (this could include web based discussions).
4) A roundtable discussion initiated by MEP Glenys Kinnock and
co-organised by Eurostep on May 3 in
Brussels will provide an avenue for discussions between EU NGDOs
and the MEPs. 5) A comprehensive paper on EC Development will
be prepared by a working group of EC NGDOs by October in advance
of the EU Council for Development in November.
Mr Tim Clarke the
head of the unit dealing with civil society in the
Commission’s Directorate-General for Development defended
the Commission’s approach to civil society in an address to
the meeting. He informed the meeting that the Commission
President, Mr Romano Prodi, in a recent speech had proposed a new
approach to European governance that would be outlined in a white
paper coming out in the next 12 months. The white paper will aim
to better involve civil society in EC policy making. Mr Clarke
added that his unit would be putting out a document on structured
dialogue between Southern and European civil society in the next
2 to 3 weeks.
The PAF will
endeavour to bring you more information on the CLONG General
Assembly next week and the EC review of aid policy. For more
information on the NGO meeting with MEPs on 3 May you may contact
the Eurostep Secretariat.
2. EU GENERAL
AFFAIRS COUNCIL MEETING – DISCUSSIONS ON ZIMBABWE, HORN OF
AFRICA
As a means of resolving the political crisis in Zimbabwe, the
EU Foreign Ministers making up the General Affairs Council are
insisting that Zimbabwe hold elections in May. The UK, the
Netherlands and Belgium had considered starting the process of
consultations with Zimbabwe under the Lomé Convention, which can
lead to the suspension of aid. However the EU General Affairs
Council decided against this move. The EU General
Affairs Council will return to the situation in Zimbabwe on 22
May.
Regarding the crisis in the Horn of Ethiopia, the General Affairs Council confirmed their backing of the OAU’s call for a peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea. According to the EU’s special representative on the ground, Mr Rino Serri, Ethiopia and Eritrea seem to close to an agreement to end the war that has left 60 000 dead since May 1998, however a resumption fighting cannot be ruled out. The President in Office of the OAU, Algerian President Mr Bouteflika intends to organise a peace conference in Algeria soon.
According to the Inter Press Service (IPS) daily journal Terra
Viva, last week the German government, a major contributor
of EU aid to the region, criticised both Ethiopia and Eritrea for
spending millions of dollars on their border war at a time when
monies could have been channelled into food supplies. German
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer in a letter to UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan, called the Secretary General to use his
influence to bring about change in Ethiopia. Asked whether the
famine in the Horn of Africa was caused by war or weather, Annan
told a London newspaper last week that it was a combination of
both. "Weather mainly, but war has exacerbated it," he
said.
3. ACP-EU
REQUEST FOR TRADE WAIVER REIEVES LUKEWARM RESPOSNE
According to the BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest, 11 April 2000, the ACP and EU joint request for a waiver from the WTO to maintain non-reciprocal trade preferences for the ACP till 2008 has been met with a "cool" reception from a number of quarters, including other developing countries. Honduras, Ecuador, Guatemala and Panama told the EU that any possible section on a preferential banana regime included in the ACP-EU Agreement must be in keeping with EU obligations under the WTO. Panama has threatened to hold up the waiver until the EU reforms its banana regime. While the US has said it will not block the waiver request despite the unresolved banana dispute, it has indicated that it wants to ensure that it does not lose any of its rights to have the EU make changes to its banana regime.
According to diplomats though the 8-year waiver, which must be
approved by all WTO Members is likely to be granted, it may take
longer than the 90 days officially mandated for waivers to be
acted upon. During the 90-day period, the Council for Trade in
Goods will conduct informal consultations on the EU-ACP request. If
there is no decision within this time frame, the question turns
to a qualified vote requiring a three-quarters majority in the
WTO to pass.
4. BRIEF
The Portuguese
Presidency of the EU on behalf of the EU has expressed its deep
concern at the continuing tension in the Democratic Republic of
Congo and has once again called all parties to the conflict to
immediately halt all military activities. The EU also reiterates
its support for the Lusaka Agreement.