1.
EU LIAISON COMMITTEE OF EU NGDOs HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE ON
DIFFICULTIES WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
The
controversy between the Liaison Committee of EU NGDOs (CLONG) and
the European Commission entered the public arena this week, with
the Liaison Committee organising a press conference to comment on
the findings of an audit of the CLONG, carried out on behalf of
the Commission. According to a statement put out by the
Commission for the press conference,
“The
final draft report of the audit, carried out by Ernst and Young
.. is likely to recommend the need to recover approximately
€1 million in mismanaged funds from CLONG. … The
Commission is of the view that CLONG should not receive any
further EU funds until the appropriate accounting practices have
been set in place and clear procedures established for how these
funds are to be managed by the platforms.”
The
Liaison Committee in response in its own press release has
expressed disappointment that it was not allowed to see the
findings of the audit report before they were released to the
press. The CLONG Press release states:
“As
far we (CLONG) are concerned, however, all the community funds
that we have handled over the past 5 years examined by the audit
(amounting to over Euro 10 million), have been properly spent on
the purpose for which they were intended and according to
Commission rules in force at the time.”
In
a further press statement released after a meeting with EU
Commissioner for Development, Poul Nielson, the Liaison
Committees state that it will be receiving the external audit
report in the next few days. It has a month to send a response to
the Commission. The Commission will consider this response,
before it decides on any further action. CLONG will be preparing
a response to the Commission in January on the basis of
information from all its National Platforms.
2.
PRIORITIES OF THE SWEDISH PRESIDENCY OF THE EU: 1/01-6/01
The forthcoming
Swedish Presidency of the EU has published its programme on its
website:
According to the
programme the top priorities of the Swedish Government are the 3
‘E’s – Enlargement, Employment and the
Environment.
On the
environment, the process of integrating environmental
considerations into all EU areas of co-operation will be further
developed and advances will be made in the preparation of the
EU’s Sixth Environmental Action Programme during the Swedish
Presidency. EU Heads of States meeting at the EU Council in
Gothenburg will adopt a strategy for long-term adjustment of EU
policy to the needs of ecologically, economically and socially
sustainable development. Efforts will also focus on concluding
the discussion, on outstanding issues stemming from the UN
Conference on Climate Change in November 2000. Sweden will
also strive to ensure that the EU makes an effective and
goal-oriented contribution to the UN high-level conference to be
held in 2002, as a follow up to the Rio UN Conference on
Environment and Development held ten years ago.
Concerning relations
with Africa, the Swedish Presidency will seek to
promote a more coherent, long-term role for the EU, involving,
inter alia, conflict prevention and the restriction of arms
traffic, in relation to the fight against poverty. The EU
should also devote special attention to regional co-operation and
HIV/AIDS. Sweden will strive to realise the new ACP-EU Agreement.
On
relations with Asia, the EU’s long-term dialogue on
human rights in China will be further developed. The EU will
continue to monitor security policy developments and
democratisation processes in other parts of Asia. Trafficking in
human beings will be combated.
Concerning Latin
America and the Caribbean, the Swedish Presidency will seek
to promote peace, democracy and human rights particularly in
Colombia, Peru and Cuba. Sweden will give special priority to
free trade negotiations with Chile and MERCOSUR.
On External
Trade, one of the main priorities of the Swedish Presidency
will be to encourage the EU to speed up developments towards
concrete liberalisation in the WTO. According to the Swedish
Government, the best way to achieve this is through a new round
of negotiations in the WTO.
For more
information see http://eu2001.se/eu2001/main/default.asp?1222459
The Swedish
Minister for Development, Ms Klingvall, will present the Swedish
priorities for development at the European Parliament in Brussels
on 8 January 2001.
3.
EU AGRICULTURE MINISTERS APPROVE REFORM OF EU BANANA REGIME
The
EU Agriculture Council of Ministers approved unanimously with the
exception of the UK, the modification of the EU banana trade
regime with ACP traditional banana producers. The modification
introduces the “first-come, first-served” system for
all parties until 2006, while foreseeing a tariff preference of
€300 per tonne in favour of the ACP countries. The new
system is supposed to enter into force by April 1 2001, but the
Commission has the possibility of postponing it until 1 July 2001
at the latest.
In
a press conference following the Council meeting, the EU
Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Fischler, stated that the WTO
had already recognised the validity of the “first-come,
first-served” system and the US (who successfully challenged
the EU’s current banana regime in the WTO) have themselves
proposed it on two occasions. The Commissioner said the EU
however remains open to dialogue over other solutions. Apparently
EU and US leaders made progress on the issue at their Summit in
Washington, earlier this week, but were unable to clinch a deal.
Officials in the Clinton administration have refused to accept
the “first-come first-served” system, but according
to the European press, EU diplomats say the incoming Bush team
may be open to the solution because US banana giant Dole, which
backs this approach, was a bigger contributor to Republican
campaign funds than rival, Chiquita, which opposes it.
However
in this week’s European Voice, a number
of EU and ACP banana trading companies have expressed their
opposition to the EU “first-come first-served” proposal
in a full-page advertisement. According to the companies, the
US, 7 Latin American countries, and the Caribbean have rejected
the EU proposal. They say if it is enacted, the longstanding
banana dispute will not be resolved.
4.
EU TAKE SOFTER STANCE ON WTO ISSUES?
EU
government officials have welcomed Commission plans to soften the
EU ‘s position on a new WTO round. A meeting of the Article
133 Committee, made up of trade experts from EU Member States,
enthusiastically welcomed a Commission proposal to allow WTO
members to opt out of any deals on anti-trust and competition
rules, and make further concessions to developing countries. A
paper prepared by the Committee suggests that the EU should
change its strategy to win support for launching a new round of
WTO negotiations in the face of growing opposition to the round
from developing countries. The Commission insist that the EU
should not abandon its efforts to ensure the new round covers
investment and competition, but should adopt a new approach which
allows some countries to opt out of certain parts of the final
agreement if they think these parts would be too difficult to
implement.
5.
IN BRIEF
The Commission has
agreed on the appointment of Mr Richelle from the Netherlands as
the new Director General of its Directorate General for
Development.
6.
SEASON’s GREETINGS
The PAF would like
to wish all its readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The PAF next returns on 5 January 2001.